The Eyes Have It
by ThreeCloverKai
Summary: "Dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on their dreams with open eyes, to make them possible." Hinata Hyuuga has a dream, a goal, and with her eyes wide open, she's going to make it a reality.
1. Prologue

Hey! So this idea has been floating in my head for a while but I never knew what to do with it. It's kinda AU, kinda not. It's non-massacre. Let me know what you think so far! I'm not going to be posting any more chapters until I get a couple written. I just what to know what you thing so far of the idea.

Summary: AU Someone is after ocular kekkei-genkai and have taken it upon themselves to eliminate the Hyuuga clan. All but the one they need. Hinata finds shelter at the Uchiha compound, becoming an excellent ninja under the tutelage of their prodigy. Now, the phantom thief has returned, and it's a race against the clock to save her new family and love. Her eyes may just be exactly what she needs.

Enjoy!

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Prologue

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"Hinata-sama! Take this and run!"

A bag was shoved into the bleary-eyed seventeen year old's hands.

"Neji-niisan, what's going on?"

Neji stuffed some soldier pills in her pockets. "Hiashi-sama has been assassinated. The compound has been infiltrated. You need to leave. Now!"

Before the door had even opened, the Hyuuga prodigy was already prepared. A soon as a body was visible through the crack in the doorway, kunai were flying.

"Hinata-sama! Get out of here!"

She quickly performed the seal for the teleportation jutsu. She watched in horror as a kunai buried itself in her cousin's shoulder, sending him down on one knee in pain. Three men converged on him, but it was too late for her to do anything. The seal was complete and she disappeared in a flurry of leaves.

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The young woman reappeared in the woods about a mile from the Hyuuga compound that lit up the sky with its flames. Her eyes blurred at the sight but she knew she had to respect the wish of her cousin.

So she did as she was told and ran. She didn't know where she was going but it didn't matter. She just had to get away.

She didn't know how long she had been running or how far she had gotten. The sun was starting to become visible on the horizon, but that didn't tell her much since she had no idea when it was she had first woken.

She made her way to a clearing and collapsed. She could just barely make out three figures moving toward her. Despite the imminent danger these three could pose, her body was out of adrenaline to trigger her fight or flight. Her fear had her fighting the creeping darkness until her exhaustion got the best of her and her eyelids slid shut.

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"Ugh. Why does Kakashi-sensei do this all the time?" a pink haired girl complained. "It's always, 'Meet at dawn', and then he's never here."

"Neh, Sakura-chan. You should be used to it by now," a blonde haired boy with whiskers on his face said.

"It's just annoying," Sakura replied, brushing her hair off of her forehead and into a ponytail.

"Hn. As an instructor he should be more attentive," a third voice joined in.

The blonde pointed his finger at the speaker with an accusatory frown, "Sasuke-teme, it's not like you've ever cared about Kaka-sensei's tardiness."

The broody Uchiha was unaffected. "Hn. Let's just go spar until he gets here, Naru-dobe."

The blonde seemed to agree and both started off towards the offsite training grounds, leaving Sakura to trail behind. But as they reached the clearing, Sasuke held up a hand and slipped into a fighting stance. His Sharingan was activated with a blink of his eyes and he stared intently across the clearing. His team mates sensed his tension, and quickly slipped into fighting stances beside him, confusion written in their features.

The foliage rustled and all three were on the alert. Kunai were drawn and at the ready. The rustling increased until the intruder was almost visible.

And then a girl, still dressed in her night clothes, stumbled out and collapsed.

Sakura was the first to recover from the surprise. She reached the unknown girl quickly and immediately started assessing her body for damage. Finding none, she sighed in relief and looked at her team mates for clues as to what to do next.

"We should take her back to the village. Tsunade-baachan will know what to do with her," Naruto said, serious for one of the first times in his life.

Sasuke knelt down and examined the girl, brushing away her bangs so he could see her face. His brow's furrowed as he tried to remember. He had seen her before. When they were younger, he had met her. He continued looking her over, noticing the pack she had clutched in her grasp. He maneuvered it so he could see the insignia and his eyes widened.

Hyuuga Hinata. Heiress to the Hyuuga clan.

And she had the Head Scrolls.

"We need to get her out of here. Now."

"Sasuke, what's wrong?" Sakura asked, put on edge by the urgency in his voice.

"Sakura, go tell Godaime that we have the Hyuuga heiress and we'll be taking her to the Uchiha compound. Something very bad has happened to the Hyuuga clan. Tell her that Hinata has the scrolls. She'll understand. Naruto, you'll be with me. If we want to make good time to the Uchiha compound we'll need to alternate carrying her. I can almost guarantee that someone is following her."

Naruto bent over the girl and picked her up bridal style. "Sakura, if you see Kakashi-sensei, tell him to catch up."

Sakura looked skeptical. "Are you sure that taking her to the Uchiha compound is a good idea? It's almost a five hour sprint away from Konoha. What if something happens?"

"As wife to the head of the Uchiha clan, my mother is an expert on ocular bloodline traits. She's the one who guides Godaime through critical procedures involving ocular jutsu. Godaime is going to request that my mother examine her first, so either we take her straight to my mother, or we take her to Godaime. If Hinata-sama has overused her Byakugan, there are several types of damage that can be done to the eye. Some of them can deteriorate the eye in under ten hours. If that ends up being the case, we won't have time to send for my mother and bring her back to the village. And with Itachi-niisan and Father home, it'll be one of the safest places for her."

Sakura nodded. She understood the complications that could arise from taking Hinata back to the village. Time wise, it was best to get her seen by Mikoto as soon as possible. If that meant taking her strait to the woman, then that was what they were going to do. She just hoped the bitter rivalry between the Hyuugas and the Uchihas wouldn't hinder any of their efforts to help this girl.

The pinkette was off in a flash, and the two boys took that as their cue to begin the long trek to the Uchiha compound. A few seconds later found them flying through the trees in an orange and black blur.

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"Three or four at seven o'clock."

Naruto closed his eyes and concentrated on the area around them. "I got 'em. Here, take her and go. My shadow clones will be better for this anyways."

Sasuke nodded and took the still sleeping girl from his team mate. Just as he jumped, a kunai struck the branch he had been standing on.

"Get her out of here, Sasuke. I've got this," Naurto said as he turned to face the thrower of the kunai.

Quickly, he formed the hand seals and three more Narutos materialized out of thin air. Each Naruto went after a target. His only intention was to buy Sasuke enough time to get away.

"Kabuto-sama, look at our luck! Not only do we get the Hyuuga but an Uchiha too!"

The shinobi promptly got a lethal Rasengan to his chest. His body went flying back into a tree as Naruto nonchalantly wiped the man's blood off of his face.

"You will not touch Sasuke or Hinata."

"And a mere boy of what? Fourteen? Is supposed to keep us from them? Go home now and we'll let you live."

Naruto's eyes narrowed at the three men standing before him. Mocking him. He would show them who would be doing the mocking in the end.

"I was told once that those who break the rules are scum but those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum. I will not abandon my friends. I will not run from you."

"Well that's cute," a guy with a white ponytail and glasses said. He turned slightly to address the men at his side. "Kill him. I'm going after the other two brats."

"The men nodded and immediately went into close combat with Naruto, preventing him from making more shadow clones. With a poof, one of the clones was gone, leaving him with only two clones left. A punch to the gut, and another poof later, Naruto was down to only one clone who was not faring too well against his opponent. A kunai struck his last clone's shoulder and then he too was gone in a poof of smoke. The ninja turned an evil smile on the real Naruto who was still locked in a fight with his partner.

A flash of pink caught Naruto's eye before a chakra filled fist connected with his opponent's jaw, sending him flying into the other ninja. Bother were sent hard into the ground where a small crater formed on impact.

A Raikiri finished the job, ensuring that neither would move on their own ever again.

Naruto nodded at his team mate and leader before taking off in the direction Sasuke had left in.

It was only a minute or so before the three arrived to witness Sasuke engaged in a fierce taijutsu battle, each ninja keeping the other from forming hand signs. The young Uchiha had his Sharingan activated and was doing a good job of pushing the opposing ninja back.

Kakashi threw a kunai in the direction of the white haired man, Kabuto, and it was all the distraction Sasuke needed to perform the seals for the trademark Uchiha ninjutsu.

"Katon Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"

And a ball of fire was sent straight at his enemy.

Kabuto jumped out of the way just in time and landed on a tree branch with only his sleeve smoldering.

"The little Hyuuga heiress has this many supporters? Hope you protect her well. She'll need it."

Without another second wasted, he disappeared.

Sasuke growled and moved to pick the girl up again. They needed to get to the Uchiha compound so they could figure out what was going on without the threat of an attack by enemy nin looming over their heads.

"Let's get going."

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Hinata woke in a strange bed. Her hands automatically reached for the kunai hidden in the recesses of her shirt.

Only to find them gone.

With panic rising, she tried to activate her Byakugan. Her vision wavered for a moment, before she could blurrily identify a female approaching her door. Hinata sucked in a sharp breath and deactivated her bloodline trait, quickly feigning sleep.

"Hinata-sama. I know you're awake. You're breathing patterns have changed."

Hinata slowly opened her eyes to observe the girl who sat at her bedside. She was around her own age. Her hair was pastel pink and held back by a red hitai-ate indicating her status as a medic. She was obviously from Konoha since her headband had their insignia on it. Hinata released a breath and with it some of her tension.

She was with an ally.

"My name is Haruno Sakura," the pink haired girl said. She tapped her headband and smiled. "I'm a medic in training at Konoha. I've already given you a once over and you seem to be fairly healthy. The only thing I can really diagnose is chakra exhaustion, so I brought you something to eat. Make sure to eat the rice. Carbohydrates are the quickest way to replenish energy."

A tray full of food was placed in front of the slightly startled Hyuuga.

"W-where am I?"

"Oh! You're at the main Uchiha compound. We brought you here so Mikoto-san can examine your Byakugan. Otherwise Tsunade-shishou won't know exactly how to approach trying to heal your eyes. Did you use your Byakugan a lot when fleeing the compound?"

Hinata chewed thoughtfully and her eyebrows came together in a frown. "I-I don't remember much. It's a bl-blur. I-I remember bits and pieces but, but not everything. In e-everything I re-remember I had my Byakugan activated."

"Don't worry. An adrenaline rush like that can induce temporary amnesia. Your memories will come back to you with a little time. By the way, Tsunade-shishou has been notified of this and three teams of Anbu have been sent to the Hyuuga compound."

Hinata's eyes widened as a flashback flickered in her mind and her head snapped in the direction of her current room mate.

"Where's Neji-niisan? Is he okay?"

Sakura averted her gaze in favor of staring at the wall.

"You are the last of your clan, Hinata-sama." Her voice was so soft Hinata could almost pretend that she misheard her statement. Almost. "Neji-kun and Hanabi-sama are missing. The medics on scene have identified all of the deceased. The only Hyuugas not accounted for are Neji-kun and Hanabi-sama."

The tears that Hinata was trying so hard to hold back came spilling forth, cascading down her cheeks in rivulets.

A gentle hand settled on her shoulder and she glanced up at the girl who was now standing at her side trying to offer some semblance of comfort. Her eyes conveyed her empathy for her loss.

But she had no idea.

She hadn't just lost her entire family. Her entire life. Her best friend.

Being an heiress meant she was sheltered from things such as loss. She never realized how unprepared for the real world she was until now. Though she doubted she would be able to cope with this no matter how prepared she could have been. No one could deal with this and come out unscathed.

And so she cried, clutching her chest, until she had no tears left.

Sakura stayed with her the entire time, sitting beside her on her bed, stroking her back and letting her lean on her shoulder for support. She didn't say anything, knew that she couldn't say anything that would make this okay. She gave her the only thing she could offer, a shoulder and a warm embrace. Just to know that one isn't alone is sometimes enough to help them cope.

"Tsunade-shishou just got here, so I'm going to go grab Mikoto-san. We need to get your eyes checked out. Will you be okay on your own for a few minutes?"

Hinata took a deep breath and nodded her head lightly.

"Okay good. Make sure to finish your food. Your chakra levels are still very low. I'll be back in a minute."

Sakura was up and gone, though she hesitated by the door as if she didn't want to leave. Hinata could understand why. She probably looked like a right mess. No one with a sane conscience would want to leave someone as pitiful as she herself looked at this moment.

She took her first look around the room, noticing her bag and weapon pouch had been placed on a table across the room. Her thoughts immediately turned to her cousin, remembering him shoving the pack into her arms and telling her to run. Right before he was hit with a kunai. Before she even had time to wallow in her pain again, two women entered the room followed closely by Sakura.

One of the women had a friendly smile on her face. She had black hair and eyes. An obvious Uchiha. She was very pretty and had a welcoming, motherly air about her. Hinata liked her instantly.

The other women made her cringe a little. She had blonde hair in two loose pigtails down her back. Her arms were folded under her ample breasts and a scowl marred her otherwise beautiful features. She was, in short, intimidating. Her posture demanded respect for her authority. Hinata had no doubt that this was the Godaime who Neji-niisan had told her about. She was the first to speak.

"Hinata Hyuuga?"

The pale eyed girl nodded her head in response.

"Sakura said that you remember having your Byakugan activated for a long period of time. I'm not going to ask you for any details right now, as I'm sure you are experiencing some side effects of shock. We are, however, going to perform a thorough examination of your eyes to make sure that there will be no lasting damage from overuse. Can you activate the Byakugan for us?"

"It-it's blurry. I can't g-get it to f-fully activate."

Tsunade and Mikoto looked at each other pointedly. Mikoto sighed and reached forward touch Hinata's temples. The girl visible flinched which earned another pointed look.

"Don't worry. I'm not going to hurt you. I just need to see if I can find what's wrong with your eyes. For me to do that, I need to touch you. Can you let me do this?"

Hinata hesitantly nodded and kept still as she felt the cool press of Mikoto's fingers against her skin. A tingle started at the point of contact and tickled its way through her eyes. She knew that the woman's chakra was the source of the tingles and she slowly relaxed. The sensation was slightly soothing. It was like running a cool cloth over heated flesh. It made her eyes slightly less sore, but before she could get used to it the tingles dispersed and she realized that Mikoto was done with her examination.

Mikoto addressed Tsunade first. "It's not going to be too bad. She has damaged one of the chakra entry points into the eye. Both sides are the same. While it's not going to affect her regular vision, it keeps her from being able to fully activate the Byakugan. It needs to be repaired as soon as possible. The longer we wait the less chance she has of making a full recovery."

Tsunade nodded and motioned Sakura around to the other side of the bed.

"Have you worked on a Byakugan user before, Sakura?"

"Hai, Shishou. I've helped with Neji-kun." She whispered the last part.

"This is going to be a little harder and more precise since Hinata is from the main family. Neji is about as close to main house as you can get, though. Hopefully he has given you enough practice." Tsunade leaned over the young Hyuuga and gazed thoughtfully at her. "I'm going to take the right eye. You'll take the left. Our entry point will be from the temple as Mikoto showed. Let's get started."

Sakura nodded and placed the tips of both her index fingers gently on Hinata's left temple. Tsunade did the same and simultaneously, healing chakra entered her head, washing over her eyes and making the pain wither away.

After what felt like an hour later, the two medics pulled their hands away.

"Can you try to activate your Byakugan now?"

Hinata nodded slowly. She concentrated and activated her bloodline trait. Everything was crystal clear. She tried to zoom in on certain areas of the compound and realized quickly that she did indeed have that ability as well. And that she accidentally got a close up view of someone's room, while they were in it, with a visitor.

With a brilliant blush, she deactivated her Byakugan.

"It s-seems to b-be perfect," she whispered.

"Excellent. Well, I need to be heading back to the village. Mikoto would you mind housing her for maybe about a week until Shizune gets the Hyuuga affairs in order? We need to keep her safe in the event that whoever did this intends to strike again. These bastards knew what they were doing. Striking when the whole clan is home for the heiress' birthday. They had to have been watching for a while. We need to get ahead of them."

Mikoto nodded her head to the Hokage, giving her consent. "I have no problem with that. Just don't send Itachi on any missions, please. We'll need him at home. Hinata-chan will be welcome here so long as she wishes to call it home."

Hinata couldn't help but blush at her kindness.

"T-thank you v-very much, Uchiha-san."

"You can just call me Mikoto, dear. If you go around calling everyone 'Uchiha-san' no one will know which one you're addressing," she said with a light laugh. "I tell Sakura-chan that it's just Mikoto too, but she still adds the suffix. You can choose either way. Whatever makes you comfortable."

"H-hai, Mikoto-san."

Tsunade nodded at both dark haired females and made her way towards the door. Sakura got up and followed after her shishou, turning to smile encouragingly at Hinata.

"If you don't need anything else, I am going to see Hokage-sama and Sakura-chan out."

"Umm, could y-you maybe g-get me a s-summoning sc-scroll? O-only if you h-have one."

Mikoto gave her a warm smile. "Of course. I'll be back in a bit."

And with that, Hinata was left to once again revisit her memories. They were slowly coming back, just as Sakura-san said they would. She could remember the orange glow and the smoke that blackened out the moon as she stood from afar and watched her compound burn. She could remember the tone of voice that Neji-niisan had used with her as he told her to flee.

And most of all, she could remember the fear.

It was the cold, mind-gripping idea that no matter how fast she ran, she still could end up dead. Like her family. Like her mother and father. Like her aunts and uncles. Like her cousins.

She put up no fight to the tears that started flowing again.

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Hinata was able to get her tears under control before Mikoto entered her room a half hour later.

"Here you go. It just a basic summoning scroll. Did you need a special one or anything?"

Hinata took the scroll from Mikoto and stood. "T-this is p-perfect. T-thank you."

She made her way across the room and gathered her bag. She sat on the hard wood floor and opened the scroll. She took a kunai and dug the point into the tip of her index finger. Using the blood, she wrote out a series of symbols and complex patterns. Every time her blood would coagulate, she would be forced to nick her finger again to start a fresh flow. After a few minutes, there was a pattern that would have artists jealous.

There were four spots left blank, where she placed the four scrolls she pulled from her pack. The head scrolls.

For every clan, there were scrolls kept by the head family that held the clan's secrets, from jutsu to weaknesses. For the Hyuugas, when an heir was inaugurated, they would gather all the scrolls and place them all within a summoning scroll. They would then place their own unique seal on the scroll. Throughout that heir's reign, new scrolls would be added as jutsu were discovered or healing techniques for special family traits. The next heir would then gather them all into another summoning scroll. With every generation placing their own protection on the scrolls, it was near impossible to get the Hyuuga secrets.

And now it was Hinata's turn.

With a poof, the four scrolls disappeared, leaving a blank canvas. Hinata rolled up the scroll and placed it aside. Then she started drawing straight on the hard wood floor. Again, she had to make a few more cuts to her finger, but she finished quicker this time. She placed the scroll in the middle of her design and stood.

She performed a series of hand seals, almost twenty different signs, and then slammed her palm down on the scroll. The blood pattern on the floor crept forward towards Hinata's palm, each symbol getting smaller only to disappear under Hinata's hand. She picked up the scroll when she was done and straightened. Her own personal seal was complete.

She swayed slightly and Mikoto had to catch her as she collapsed. The Uchiha put her back in bed and set the now sealed scroll on the nightstand. She fluffed the pillows a bit and then backed away from the now sleeping girl with a sigh.

Happy fucking birthday.

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	2. Chapter 1

Woohoo! Chapter 1 is finally done. I was going to wait to publish it until I got the next few chapters done, but I know what I'm doing for the next few chapters so I decided to post it. I figured you guys wouldn't mind that I'm going back on my word this time, right? Haha. Anyways, let me know what you think. Enjoy!

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Chapter 1

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"Abi, hurry up and finish your breakfast. We've got the whole west wing to clean today," a pretty girl with dark brown hair said.

Abi groaned and polished off her rice quickly before following the older girl out of the kitchens and up into the main household. They slipped out of the servant quarters quietly and began making their way to the west wing. Entering the first room, they realized that they really had their work cut out for them.

"I bet no one has cleaned this wing in months! Look at all this dust. Even the linens will have to be changed," Abi complained.

"Well it's not going to get done by you complaining about it. Lets get started on dusting. Once all of the rooms are clean then we'll come back up and change the linens. It'll probably take all day, but at least you're not scrubbing toilets, ne?"

"Rin. You suck."

"I try," the girl drawled.

Abi huffed in annoyance but set to work, dusting off shelves and arranging the fake flowers that had fallen into a tangled mess. She worked diligently, though she didn't know what she had done to get demoted to this. She was the handmaiden of Lord Ryura's daughter, Shiori. She wasn't supposed to be cleaning. She was supposed to be weaving Shiori's hair into an elegant updo that would last all day, or drawing her bath when her lady wanted to relax.

She blew the bangs from her face as she finished up the last of the dusting, willing her thoughts away. All twenty rooms were finally dust free, with clean floors and, well, still dusty linens. A groan escaped her lips at the knowledge that she would have to be up here again later.

"Oh quit being so spoiled. This is the kind of stuff us regular maids do everyday. It's really not that bad. Let's go have lunch and then we'll start on the beds. Sound good?" Rin smiled at the disgruntled girl who was in her care today.

"Okay, okay. Sounds good. I'm starving and it's only what?" Abi peered out the window to glance at the sun, "two o'clock? How pathetic. You're right. I am spoiled." She shook her head and exited the room.

Rin chuckled and followed Abi down to the kitchens.

The cooks smiled at them and fixed up two rather generous plates since no one else was around. Rin and Abi gave each other knowing smirks and took their plates gratefully to the servants' table.

"I think he likes you," Abi whispered.

"Who?"

"The one cook. You know, the cute one with the brown hair and blue eyes. He's always looking at you." Abi snickered into her hand when her friend blushed.

Rin sneaked a glance at the cook and sure enough, he turned away rather quickly, a light pink warming his cheeks.

"Ha! Told you."

"Oh shush."

Abi scoffed but decided to change the subject. "So do you think the Lord is having guests soon? I mean, why else would we be cleaning that wing?"

Rin chewed on her food slowly. "I haven't heard anything but I can't be sure. All of the other maids seem to be awfully busy for the passed few days though. Why don't you ask Shiori-sama tonight when you fix her up for dinner?"

"Only if we get those beds remade in time. Otherwise I might be late." Abi stood and deposited her dishes in the sink, Rin doing the same.

"Let's just get this over with," Rin sighed.

Then without a second thought, the two girls left to the laundry rooms.

XXXXXXXXXX

Hinata happily strode through the crowded streets of Konoha, clasping her hands behind her back and smiling softly. She was content to just follow the flow of people and enjoy the sights and sounds of being home. Closing her eyes, she let the smells of the food vendors waft over her. There was nothing like being back in Konoha.

One month was how long that awful reconnaissance mission had taken. It had paid well, but the brutality of being in Swamp Country made her question whether it was worth it. And she didn't even learn anything useful during her stay. Effectively, the entire mission was a bust. Realizing that she wasn't going to be getting any pertinent information, Hinata made the long trek home.

She had arrived in Konoha four days prior and had gotten her ass chewed by the Godaime. Apparently, she had been drinking and poor Hinata had gotten home at a bad time. Shizune had been more than helpful, taking Hinata's mission report and personally removing her from active duty for a week to recuperate.

Now she had three more days to enjoy before she was put back on the mission roster. She was going to make them count.

The dark haired girl spied a dango stand and her stomach decided it was time for lunch. She went up to the register and ordered her treat with only minimal stuttering, then sat on a low nearby wall to wait. It wasn't long before she was on her way again, moseying along with dango in hand. Letting her thoughts run free, she munched her treat quietly and mused about random things.

The spring festival would be in the next few weeks, the last traces of winter having started to melt away. She would drag Itachi-nisan with her, she decided. He wouldn't get a say in it and the only way he would be getting out was if he had a dire and immediate mission that needed attending to.

She wouldn't have to worry about Sasuke, Naruto-kun would make sure he went. Which left her with only having to convince one Uchiha instead of two. Not like that was any better though.

Hinata sighed and flopped herself on a bench, nibbling more on her rapidly vanishing food. Maybe Mikoto would help. She was always trying to get her boys to be a little more social. And if Hinata promised not to ditch him, Itachi-nisan just might be slightly more inclined to go.

Yeah right.

Blowing at her bangs, Hinata made an exasperated huff and then stood, tossing the now clean dango stick in the trash. With nothing to do for the rest of the day, she decided to get a new book and maybe relax for a while. After she took some time for herself, then she could start plotting Itachi-nisan's imminent demise.

Nodding as if to solidify her thoughts, Hinata made her way back to the busy and crowded streets of the market place, searching out a familiar sign that hung in front of her favorite book shop. She spotted it quickly and worked her way through the throngs of people until she was standing outside the door.

Slipping inside, she was hit with scent of brand new books. She had always loved that smell. Her feet took her straight to the new releases section, her subconscious hoping that something good had come out in the past month she had been gone.

"Ohayo, Hinata-san," a young woman said, smiling amiably.

"O-ohayo. How are you, Hanako-san?"

"Good. And you?"

Hinata smiled wistfully before answering. "I'm d-doing well. I just got back from a mission. I-I have a few days off to relax. I think a good book will be nice. Anything new?"

"Actually," Hanako wiggled her eyebrows as she made her way around the front register, "we just got in this new one. I liked it a lot, though it might be a little bit more romance-y than the stuff you normally read. It's about this teenage girl who has this super high IQ, like 200. She's a nerd, and in a fit of rebellion, she goes to the mall to get fashionable clothes and stuff. She runs into a girl she used to know and in exchange for making fake ID's to get into this extravagant club, her new friend helps her shop. Well, at the club, her and her new friend end up drinking too much and going home with a guy. Pretty much, the guy they went home with is Russian mafia and she ends up witnessing a murder. The whole story is about her trying to get away from them and just survive. Really good, quick read. You'll not want to put it down."

Hinata took the proffered book from the girl and skimmed through the first few pages. The writing was good. She could vaguely remember her friends Ino and Sakura saying something about this author. Probably it was good with the way they were gushing to each other. They both were into the romance books. TenTen was into adventure. If Hinata recalled correctly, she was hooked on pirates at the moment.

Hinata just stuck with mystery. It always left one wondering and always had a way of kindling her curiosity. But not without sating it of course.

She examined the book a little further and finally deemed it as worthwhile. She smiled at the clerk and nodded.

"You'll get it? Yes! Tell me how you like it. Let's get this scanned and you'll be good to go," Hanako said, a little too cheerily.

"Hai." Hinata followed Hanako up to the register and paid for her purchase. "Thank you, Hanako-san."

"No problem. Hope to see you soon! Bye."

Hinata waved before crossing the threshold and exiting the shop. She smiled to herself, excited to start reading her new book. Looking up at the sky, Hinata decided it was going to be too nice a day to stay indoors.

A quick stop at her condo would be in order. Instead of having the Hyuuga compound rebuilt, she decided to sell off the property to a local village that could use the space for more crops. The small subsection that her family had kept within the walls of Konoha,much like the Uchihas, she decided to make into an apartment complex. Since it was already outfitted for Hyuugas who either had to leave early in the morning or came back late at night for a mission, it was easy to convert. It had been a building of about twenty, one bedroom, apartment style suites. Renting them out had been a breeze. It was too much to manage the daily tasks and paperwork, though, and she eventually gave the position of landlord over to one of her tenants in exchange for free rent. Now, she just got to sit back and receive rent checks every month.

With the money she collected from that, she bought a two bedroom, two bath, condominium with a loft area that she converted into a study. The second bedroom was outfitted as a guest area, which Itachi liked to use when he stopped into town. All in all, she was happy with her new living conditions. She had only been out of the Uchiha compound for a few months but she was really enjoying being on her own. Well, alone with constant check ups from two rather protective Uchiha brothers.

She made her way to her condo on autopilot so enveloped in her thoughts, and unlocked the door, stepping inside. Her flat wasn't very big, but it had the distinct smell of home. She tossed her jacket on the back of the couch and walked into her room. She dug around in her closet until she found what she was looking for.

Her favorite quilt. She had made it in the first month she had been staying with the Uchihas. Mikoto had taught her how to quilt and embroider. She had gotten quite good at it and ended up fashioning a quilt with and embroidered family portrait on the front. She even included Neji-nisan, since he was just as much a part of their family. She smiled fondly at the material, fingering its soft texture before standing.

She dropped the quilt off in the living room next to her jacket and moved to the kitchen. Opening the fridge, she grabbed a few rice balls she made that morning and wrapped them up in a bento. She took out two water bottles as well and then belated realized she had nowhere to put her stuff.

A minute later she reappeared in her kitchen with a tote bag and started meticulously putting her things in the bottom, making sure that no container would spill its contents. Satisfied, she exited to the living room and came back with her quilt, which she tucked neatly down the side of her bag next to her food.

She tugged her jacket on, slipped her new book in her tote, before flinging the bag over her shoulder. Her hands rustled in her pockets until she found her keys, and then she left her apartment, locking the door behind her.

It was going to be a park day.

XXXXXXXXXX

Through the darkness, a screech of metal on metal could be heard. The rasp of bars against stone greeted the filthy boy's ears. From his position on the floor, he could feel the footsteps of someone getting closer.

A yank to his matted hair forced him to his feet. He staggered and let the man hold most of his weight via his hair. A shove to his back indicated that he was to walk forward. Having not been fed in four days, though, this was a difficult task.

"Get moving! Geeze. You would think this one's useless. What the hell do they even want with this piece of shit?" The man sent a swift kick to the boy's ribs, knocking the wind clear out of him and sending him to the floor.

"Don't bother yourself with what we want, invalid."

"K-Kabuto-sama! I'm sorry. I didn't see you there. I will deliver this boy up to the lab immediately." The man gave a low bow and heaved the boy over his shoulder before disappearing.

The one with silver-white hair stayed back and stared at the last occupant of the cell. The prisoner sat stoically in the corner, his long brown hair held in a dirty, messy braid. The clothes he had been captured in had long since been ruined, and he now sat in tattered draw string pants and a loose fitting shirt. Both were grey so that if a prisoner tried to escape, they could be spotted immediately. He had a defiant air about him. His head held high despite having been in multiples holding cells, each one worse than the last, for the past two years.

Kabuto pushed his glasses up further to get a better look at the prisoner and then smiled wickedly.

"Your turn in the lab is next… Neji-kun."

XXXXXXXXXX

Soft blonde tresses flowed through her fingers like water. The silky hair of her Lady had always enraptured Abi. Slowly, and with meticulous care, Abi started pinning and combing. Having a sister had paid off. Though they had never really gotten along, Abi and her sister would always take time to do each other's hair before balls and banquets and all the other formal events they had to attend. Doing Shiori-sama's hair was no different.

After a half hour of tweaking and securing locks of golden strands, Abi stepped back to admire her work. She did a good job if she did say so herself. The intricate updo was pretty and elegant, with woven pieces piled high on her Lady's head, leaving her bare neck to show, as was the fashion now a days. Or so Abi had been told.

She moved to stand in front of Shiori with a critical eye. She reached out and unpinned Shiori's bangs and let them tumble down to frame her face. Satisfied with her creation, she handed her Lady a mirror and waited for her judgment.

"I… love it. I think this is the best one you have done so far, Abi! Wow, it looks so good!"

Abi broke out in a grin, unable to contain the pride she had for herself. It always made her happy that she could please Shiori-sama.

"Now, time for your make up. I think with a style like that for your hair we can tone down the make up. Let's shoot for a more natural look. Yes, Shiori-sama?"

"That sound's perfect. You know I'm not one for make up normally."

"Hai." Abi smiled and placed herself between Shiori and the vanity. She grabbed the foundation and began to work.

"Who is coming over tonight that you need to be so dressed up? If it is my place to ask." Abi had been curious about the mysterious guest ever since her and Rin cleaned the guest wing the day before. Last night she had not been called to her Lady's quarters to help her get ready for dinner so she hadn't gotten the opportunity to ask her.

"It's fine. It's my father's business associate," she spat the title out. "He's a creepy guy who I would really like to break ties with. But to be able to do that, I would need to over throw my father or something. I may not like his decisions as of the past few years, but I would never do that to him. He's not a bad person, yet he has a tendency to get involved with the wrong type of people."

Abi just nodded her head and pretended to not be highly interested in the topic at hand. She had to keep the conversation going, though, or she wasn't going to find out who this "business associate" actually was.

"So you do not approve of this person? Or his business?"

"He's a scientist or medic or something. Maybe a combination of the two. I don't know. He always says that what he does, is strictly humane and nothing is done at the harm of living things. You look him in the eye as he says it and you know it's all just words." Shiori sighed but continued, "My father doesn't see it. He has full trust that this man will find a cure for my mother. He is blinded by his desperation."

"Love can blind people," Abi said, trying to sound noncommittal.

Shiori let out another sigh. "I know. I just wish it didn't lead to such bad decision making on his part. It doesn't matter though, I guess. Either way I have to follow."

Silence reigned between them for a few minutes before it was broken by Abi's soft whisper of, "All done."

Shiori opened her eyes and looked in the mirror. Despite her mood being somewhat in the dumps, she had to smile at her appearance. Everything looked perfect, just as it always did when Abi was put to the task.

"Thank you Abi-chan. It all looks wonderful."

Abi was about to reply when there was a knock on the door.

"Enter."

The shoji door slid to the side, revealing another maid with her head bowed.

"Dinner will be served in five minutes. Will you allow me to escort you down to the dining room?"

Shiori groaned audibly but followed the maid out the door nonetheless. Just before she turned the corner, she looked back at Abi and put her fingers to her temple in the shape of a gun. Abi laughed when she "pulled the trigger" and shooed her on her way.

Now all Abi had to do was wait.

She was lucky to be Shiori-sama's handmaiden. During the long dinners when guests were over, Abi was always welcome to use anything of Shiori's. Deciding that she should reap the benefits of her position, Abi went to the grand bathroom and drew a bath for herself. It wasn't every day that she got to take a long soak in a bath. The maids only had showers in a common bathroom.

When her bath was warm and full, Abi slipped her yukata off her shoulders and stepped into the delicious water. She really should have been doing something productive, but she banished the thoughts immediately. For now, she was going to let the warm water soothe her muscles as she played the waiting game.

XXXXXXXXXX

Four hours later had Abi perched at the foot of Shiori's bed, willing her Lady to walk though the door. It was late, and she was tired. She shook away her fatigue, knowing that Shiori-sama would be equally tired, if not more so than herself.

As if her mental call was answered, Shiori shuffled into the room, all composure and poise gone. Without even being asked, Abi scurried to the bathroom and began to draw a nice warm bath. She lit some scented candles that were designed to calm and added soothing bath salts to the water. When the water was ready, Abi hurried back into the bedroom where Shiori was sprawled across the bed in a most undignified manner.

Abi had to giggle.

Shiori glared at her handmaiden but made no move to reprimand her or to even move for that matter.

"It couldn't have been _that_ bad, Shiori-sama. Could it?"

Shiori just stared at Abi with blank eyes. "Oh it was bad. It was horrible. That retched man kept pawing at me like it was his right to try and touch me." She shuddered at the memory. "And when I told him to back off, father said that women should be seen and not heard. I can't believe the things he let that snake get away with!"

Abi could definitely sympathize. She herself having grown up in a similar environment. The one were females were objects to be held in a man's possession, not humans with minds and bodies of their own.

"Physically, there's nothing he could have done that can't be washed away with a nice bath. Emotionally, well, a bath will help but I can't really be of service for that department," Abi said thoughtfully.

Shiori smiled ruefully at the ceiling. "Well, not much I can do about it, ne? A bath sounds nice though."

She moved to stand, and Abi helped her out of her outer kimono, before ushering her into the bathroom to relax. The door slid shut, and Abi let out a sigh.

Not only was she an hour away from sleep at least, she still had no idea who the mystery guest was. She had wracked her mind all day without success. The identity of the guest still escaped her.

Abi moved to resume her perch at the foot of the bed and began to eliminate potential candidates in her head. She thought of some of the major drug lords of the area but they were quickly removed from the list. They had nothing to gain from a partnership with Lord Ryura. Mercenary lords were the more probable bet. But then again, hadn't Shiori-sama said that this man offered to cure her mother and that he was a medic or something? If that was the case, mercenaries were out. They exchange protection for money, not medical help. Even if they wanted to bluff for some reason, one would be able to see right through them. But if it wasn't any of the big names that were out there, then who could it be? Obviously they needed money or they wouldn't have sought out Lord Ryura. Could that mean that they're flying under the radar, so to speak? Possibly. It would explain why Abi had never made a connection to anyone, or even had any suspicions.

Before settling down in this estate, Abi had made sure that it was well protected and that she knew of every detail that went on. She always knew who was on the grounds, the patrol schedule, everything. She wasn't stupid enough to drop her guard just because it had been almost two years since she had gone into hiding. No. Her cover wouldn't be blown for anything.

So lost in her thoughts, Abi missed the sound of the sliding door. She looked up when she felt wisps of steam caress her cheek, realizing that her Lady had finished her bath. Moving quickly, she tucked the edges of the sheets down after realizing that Shiori had already dried and brushed her hair on her own.

Shiori smiled gratefully and slid between the sheets, sinking into the mattress with a contented sigh. Her eyes fluttered shut and she relaxed into the blankets embrace.

"It may not be my place to ask but with everything you have told me about him, I find myself curious as to the identity of your fathers guest. I understand if you are not at liberty to discuss it, much less with someone of my position. It is simply curiosity I wish to quench."

Shiori opened her eyes to study the girl in front of her. Her expression showed the inner debate she was having. Obviously one side was winning.

"His name is Kabuto. But he's just a messenger. I don't know who he works for or is partnered with or whatever. He's creepy as hell, and I can't wait to get him the hell out of my house."

Abi bowed low in apology, feeling as if she had touched a nerve.

"Sorry. Don't bow. I didn't mean that to be so snappy. The man just infuriates me. He objectifies women and he acts like he is above all other men. I just want to wring his neck." Shiori stick her hands behind her head and sunk into her pillow before opening her mouth to speak again. She closed her mouth and then opened it again, at a loss of what to say. "I think I need to stop thinking about him. If I do, I'll just get too riled up to sleep. You must be exhausted as well. Take the attached room. I'll probably need you in the morning anyways. Our guest is staying for a while."

"Hai, Shiori-sama. Good night."

"Good night, Abi-chan."

XXXXXXXXXX

The door to her home opened just as Hinata was finishing up dinner. She smiled to herself and continued with her task without so much as a glance upwards. She grabbed two plates from the cabinet and began dishing out yakisoba. When she finished, Itachi walked in, already out of his anbu gear and sporting a comfy pair of black sweat pants.

Hinata gave him a quick hug and then took her seat at the dining table. Itachi joined her, looking visibly tired.

"H-how did your mission go, Ita-nisan? I thought you weren't supposed to be back for another c-couple of days?"

"It went quicker than expected. Recon. The guy spilled his secrets like a teenage girl."

"Well, I am glad you're back, safe and sound."

"Hn."

"I don't care how good you are, Ita-nisan. I-I still worry."

"Don't. It insults my skill and intelligence."

Hinata just stuck her tongue out at him like a child and resumed eating. She really did have a knack for making any noodle dish.

"How have you been? You have the week off, yes?"

"Hai. I'm enjoying the break. I got a new book and r-read in the park today. I trained this morning so I figured I could use a relaxing afternoon."

"Hn. I do not wish to damper your good mood, however, you have to report to Tsunade-sama tomorrow morning."

Hinata groaned through a mouthful of food. "So much for a break." She puffed her bangs out of her eyes in annoyance.

Itachi's lips quirked upward ever so slightly in amusement.

"Not fair. Like being in swamp country for a month doesn't count as torture? Now she won't even let me have a week off."

"Most likely it will be an easy mission. Even she is not that cruel."

"I suppose," Hinata sighed resignedly. She scooped up her and Itachi's dishes and left them in the sink to soak. "Come on Ita-nisan. You look beat. I-I'll run you a bath."

"Hn."

Hinata smiled. She had missed him while she had been gone. He had left on a mission a week before she departed for swamp, so she hadn't seen him in almost a month and a half. Even if he mostly replied in monosyllabic answers, she still missed talking to him.

She moved to the bathroom attached to the guest room and began preparing his bath. A few minutes later, she had it just how she knew he liked it.

She stood and went to exit the room when she was blocked by the very man she about to retrieve. He slowly wrapped arms around her and set his chin atop her head. She smiled to herself, her arms encircling his waist as her cheek laid against his bare chest.

Itachi was never one to show much affection, so moments like these were treasured in Hinata's memory. Little gestures, like initiating a hug, were a huge deal to Itachi and it made her feel special.

She pulled out of his embrace and slipped passed him to the doorway.

"Take a bath and get some rest, Ita-nisan."

"Hai."

"Good night. I'll see you in the morning."

"Good night, Hinata-chan."

Hinata smiled and moved to leave but paused. "It's good to have you home again. I missed you, Ita-nisan."

"Hn."

Her smile widened, knowing that the feelings were reciprocated. He may never actually say it, but she knew, just from that one syllable. In a better mood than she had been all day, she left him on his own to go get ready for bed herself.

XXXXXXXXXX

Hinata stretched out languidly, taking a moment before realizing that she couldn't remember turning off her alarm that morning. She glanced over at her bedside clock and almost toppled out of bed when she noticed the time.

9 am!

She should have been at the Hokage tower at eight! Oh she was so going to be dead. Punched straight through a wall by the Hokage herself. This was not good at all.

Hinata flew out of bed and was dressed in record time. Her teeth and hair were brushed in under two minutes, having done both at the same time. She ran into the kitchen and threw open the fridge, vaguely glimpsing the note that said "Training," in Itachi's perfect script. She reached into the back of the shelves, grabbing a protein shake before making a mad dash out the door.

By the time she made it to the Hokage tower it was ten passed nine and Hinata was praying to every kami there was. She tossed the empty protein shake container away and squared her shoulders.

It was now or never.

Hinata rapped lightly on the door and waited for her cue to enter. Two minutes later found Hinata standing in the same place looking mildly confused. Did she just knock too lightly and the Hokage didn't hear her? Or was she in the middle of doing something? Deciding it would be rude to knock again, Hinata sat in one of the chairs in the hall.

It was almost a half hour later when Tsunade came sauntering down the corridor, complete with red eyes and cloud of stale alcohol scent.

Hinata sighed in relief, realizing why her knock had not been answered. Looked like Tsunade had a little too much fun last night and overslept trying to get rid of her hang over.

Hinata knew at that moment she would start being a better person. She would walk old people across the street and carry groceries for pregnant women and geeze she didn't know. All she knew was that the kamis had been listening and had spared her life that morning. If that wasn't a sign from the heavens that she still had something good to do in her life, she didn't know what was.

Although it could just be because it was a Saturday morning and everyone knows that Tsunade went out drinking and gambling every Friday night. Oh well.

"Good morning, Hokage-sama," Hinata said, standing up in order to execute a proper bow.

The Hokage grunted unintelligibly and stalked into her office, Shizune not far behind carrying a peeved looking Ton-ton. Hinata took that as her cue and followed them. She came to a stop in front of the Hokage's desk and waited for the woman to find her bearings.

"I have a mission for you. Grass has requested an assassination of a lord. They have reason to believe, reasons we have just confirmed, that this lord is funding illegal medical experimentation. The daughter of Lord Ryura, Lady Shiori, will take his place. She is known for being a gentle yet logical woman and Grass is confident that with her father out of the picture, she will cut ties with whoever they are contracting with. We will trust their judgment since they are the ones bringing us in. This is a solo mission. A-ranked. I believe as a jounin you will be able to handle it. Not to mention, the Byakugan will be best suited for thwarting the guards. Any questions?"

"No ma'am."

"Good. You leave immediately. Go pack." Tsunade handed her mission scroll over and shooed her out of the office.

Hinata bowed courteously, then quickly made her way home to get ready.

At least this mission would only be a few days.

XXXXXXXXXX


	3. Chapter 2

Hiii! So I know it's taken me a while to get this up. I'm sorry. I had most of it written and then my computer crashed. When I write, it has to be something new, otherwise I get bored. Which is why I have problems rewriting stuff and editing. Which explains why I was not very motivated with this chapter (and why it's not edited yet haha I'll do that later...). Anyways, I was going to add more and make this one really long, but I like the cliffy at the end ;P Let me know what you think. Enjoy!

XXXXXXXXXX

Chapter 2

XXXXXXXXXX

"Hokage-sama."

Tsunade looked up from shuffling around papers on her desk. She glared at the Anbu before her and went back to searching for the mission scroll that had somehow gone missing. She spotted it next to her teacup, under a stack of forms she had yet to sign. She handed it to the Chunin who was standing next to (though discreetly trying to edge away from) her unexpected visitor. A motion of her hand towards the door dismissed the Chunin and she smirked at his obvious relief to get out of her office.

"Itachi."

"Why?"

Tsunade's brows furrowed slightly before understanding dawned on her.

"She'll be fine, you know," she said, smiling slightly at his behavior. "You've never questioned my decisions before."

"You've never assigned an A rank mission as a Jounin's first solo."

"I have. And so have Hokages before me. But we're not talking about just any Jounin here. We're talking about Hinata, and that's why you're being overprotective."

Itachi stiffened imperceptibly. "She is not adequately prepared for a solo A rank."

"I realize hat you see to her training; however, as Hokage, it is my duty to know the strengths and weaknesses of my ninja and assign them to missions accordingly."

"I believe you have erred in this case."

Tsunade scoffed and sent a wave at Shizune and another ninja who were pretending to do work while eaves dropping. They took the hint and left the room silently, though their expressions were ones of disappointment. It was always interesting to see what would happen when someone showed even slight insubordination.

When the door shut, she spoke again, "It's not an A rank mission."

Itachi's eyes showed the barest amount of surprise.

"You know that with the influx of missions that almost all of the Jounin and about half of the Chunin are out of the village. You weren't even due back for another few days. If I had someone to spare who I though would be compatible with Hinata's fighting style I would have sent them. As it is, I believe she'll be fine on her own. I knew that she was on leave this week, but she was my best option for this particular mission. I like Hinata, so I changed her mission ranking from B to A so she would get a better pay. I know she doesn't really need it, but it's the least I can do since I cut her vacation short."

"You did something nice." Itachi's voice held a note of incredulity.

"It's been known to happen."

"I request to be put on her mission."

"I can't do that now that she's already left the village. Besides at the moment, until the other missions are completed I can't afford to put someone of your caliber on this mission. Not to mention you have just returned from a mission. It would be irresponsible for me, as medic and Hokage, to send you out this soon."

"I request leave from the village then. For a… vacation."

Tsunade smirked. "And that's what I was looking for." She stood and walked over to a file cabinet, pulling out drawers and sorting through papers until she found what she wanted. She took the form and slapped it on the desk in front of Itachi. "Fill this out. Show it to the guards at the gate and they'll let you go. Hinata left only four hours ago. I'm betting on dusk for you to catch her."

Itachi filled the form quickly and bowed his head to her. "Thank you, Hokage-sama. I will see you in a week."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." She waved her hand dismissively and smiled after she heard the poof that accompanied the teleportation jutsu.

XXXXXXXXXX

Hinata jumped from tree branch to tree branch, going over the mission details in her head.

She was to assassinate a lord in Land of Grass. Judging by the map, it would take roughly a day and a half to reach her destination so she would arrive sometime in the afternoon the next day. That would be perfect, giving her plenty of time to scout the area and security measures. She studied the floor plan that Tsunade had included in the mission scroll, making sure that she had it completely memorized. She still would have to make camp tonight and would have time to look it over then, but she preferred to get as much sleep as possible instead. She wanted to ensure she would be at her best the night after.

She put the diagram back in her pouch and activated her Byakugan, scanning the area round her. A smile crept onto her face when she recognized a familiar chakra signature closing in quickly on her. He was still about six miles back, but it would take less than a half hour until he was beside her.

She sped up slightly. She had known that he would do anything to go on this mission with her, so she had gone at a slower pace to wait for him. Now, though, she could speed up without worry.

His face when he read her mission scroll had been priceless. If she hadn't been so angry with him for stealing it in the first place (he knew that it she wasn't allowed to share mission details), she probably would have giggled at him.

She was proud that the Hokage had entrusted her with a solo mission. The fact that it was an A rank intimidated her slightly, but she trusted the Hokage's judgment. If Tsunade-sama believed she could complete it, then she would do her best to believe in herself as well.

"Hello Ita-nisan." It was exactly twenty-one minutes from the time that she first sensed him.

He acknowledged her greeting with a nod and a slight upturn of his lips.

The rest of the trip was quiet, but even so, Hinata couldn't keep the smile off her face.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Shiori-sama. It's been a week already. Do you have any idea of how long your guests are staying?" A light blonde eyebrow rose making Abi realize how her last statement had sounded and she hastily tried to explain, "I just mean that the other maids and I would like to know since we need to make up schedules and things like that. I meant no disrespect."

Shiori let out a chuckle. "It's so easy to rile you, Abi. I don't care if you want him gone. I do. I hate the bastard. Excuse my language." She let out another laugh, which Abi joined in.

"The maids do not like him," Abi confessed. "I have not yet seen him, but I have heard stories of him and his subordinates. They harass the staff, making lewd comments and gestures."

Shiori's features screwed up in disgust. "I will talk to Father about that. Our staff has served loyally and efficiently, they do not need to be dealing with our lowly visitors. You say you have not yet seen Kabuto?"

Abi shook her head, bringing her tea to her lips and drinking slowly.

Shiori looked deep in thought for a moment before she moved to her vanity and rummaged around in the drawers until she found a vial. She returned, setting the vial in front of Abi.

"Here. Father bought these contacts for me not too long ago to make my eyes bluer. I didn't like them though so I never wore them. I mean my eyes are already blue. What's the point? Anyways, I know you deny it, but your eyes scream 'Hyuuga'. Wear these contacts at least while our guests here. I heard them talking about that clan and I don't want you to be mistaken as one."

Abi looked surprised, but dutifully took the vial and went to the vanity to put them in. When she finished, she decided that she was not a fan of the look. While her eyes were pretty blue (and luckily these contacts were tinted, making it look like she had pupils), Abi preferred them the almost cream colored lavender that she was born with. She shook her head. If the ninja here knew about her clan, she would need to be taking precautions like this.

"Pretty," Abi commented, trying to sound somewhat pleased by the contacts. She returned to her cushion across from her Lady and sipped her tea slowly. "So what has been happening lately?" she asked, attempting conversation.

Shiori sighed, setting her cup down, and looking wistfully out the balcony doors. "I'm worried. Father and Kabuto have been having meetings without me. He usually doesn't do anything without my knowledge. While Father makes terrible decisions, he still does let me know everything that is going since I am next in line in succession. It has me worried that he is suddenly so secretive. I have no idea what he could be planning. I just know that it can't be good."

Abi nodded, looking down at her cup, not knowing how to respond.

Shiori seemed to break out of her trance and looked at the clock. "Oh my! If we don't get started soon, I wont be ready for dinner! Come on Abi. Let's do hair first."

Abi finished her tea in one gulp and hurried after her Lady.

XXXXXXXXXX

"We should make camp."

Hinata activated her Byakugan and did a quick sweep of a seven mile radius. She nodded an affirmative and dropped to the ground.

"How far did you look?" This was a standard question for Itachi. He always made a note to himself about how far her Byakugan could view.

"A l-little over seven miles." She visibly winced and mentally cursed herself for stuttering. She was pretty good around Itachi… until he started assessing her abilities. Then her confidence went down the drain.

"You're improving. Last month you were at exactly seven."

Hinata nodded, not trusting herself to speak until their conversation moved into safer waters. Luckily, Itachi had no intentions of continuing the conversation, and instead started setting up camp. Hinata followed suit and soon they found themselves working harmoniously.

Within minutes their camp was set up with adequate traps and a tent was propped up. The two ninja were sitting side by side in front of the tent, eating the measly rations issued for missions when fires were not ideal. Being so close to the Grass border, Hinata had decided against a fire and Itachi had agreed.

"Since you're not really on this mission, I'll take watch," Hinata said softly.

Itachi shook his head. "I'll take first watch. You can take second. I may be here under false pretenses, but I am still an able bodied shinobi."

Hianta knew that tone. That one that told her not to argue.

"Hai, Ita-nisan." She let her exasperation slip into her tone and got a sharp look in return. She rolled her eyes at him. He was such a control freak.

"Get some rest. I will wake you when it is your watch."

Hinata nodded, gave him a quick hug and entered the tent, the prospect of sleep too alluring to deny.

XXXXXXXXXX

A searing pain tore through his head, lighting his eyes on fire and sending waves of white hot lava burning through his skull and down his spine. He locked his jaw, determined not to scream.

"Sorry. I thought that one would sting a bit," said a sickly sweet voice that was anything but remorseful.

The man lying strapped to the table didn't respond, nor did he show any indication of having heard the speaker at all. His eyes, which were held open by a set of metal clamps, never moved, staring unseeing at the ceiling above.

"Well, that didn't work." Some scratching of a pen on paper could be heard.

A drop of liquid was added to each eye, soothing the burn and restoring a bit of vision. It was followed by another two drops, which, while not nearly as bad as the first, set his eyes watering in pain.

Slowly, he could feel chakra trying to gather in his eyes, weakly activating his kekkei-genkai. Damage done from years of having strange chemicals put in his eyes kept it from activating fully, but he could almost hear the triumphant smile on the crazed experimenter's face.

"Yes. I think we are done for the day."

The cooling drops were added and his chakra started to recede. A needle pricked his arm, and within a minute, Neji was out cold.

XXXXXXXXXX

Hinata startled awake at the crack of dawn. By the way the sky was greying with the first bits of morning light, Hinata could only guess that it was already almost six o'clock.

She quickly strapped on her weapons pouch and slung her katana across her back. Scrambling out of her tent, she glared at the person smirking at her from his perch on a tree branch.

"Itachi." Her voice held the note that told him she was less than pleased.

"Sleep well?"

Without thinking, she reached into her weapons pouch and sent a kunai flying straight for his head. Faster than her eyes could follow when not activated, he disappeared, leaving the kunai to stick the trunk where he had been only milliseconds before.

"Too slow," a voice whispered in her ear.

Hinata huffed. "Even if by some miracle I manage to be able to throw a kunai that you can't dodge, I wouldn't do it."

"Even if I was the enemy?"

Hinata turned around to face him, a questioning look in her eyes.

"Would you ever be?"

He didn't respond but his eyes told her that she had nothing to worry about.

"Why didn't you wake me? You haven't slept all night." Hinata had always taken it upon herself to tend to Itachi's health. Since Mikoto had two boys who were both adamant in their neglect of proper health, Hinata had tried to lighten her load by making sure that whomever she was with at the time ate right and slept decently. Apparently she was failing dismally.

Itachi lifted an eyebrow as if to say, "You doubt my ability to function without a little bit of sleep?"

It was one of those arrogant gestures that bugged Hinata. Already having released her frustration, something she rarely ever had the confidence to do, Hinata just sighed and started to break down the camp. Itachi was just not worth arguing with sometimes.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Shiori-sama your presence has been requested in your father's study," a shy maid said, poking her head through the doorway.

"Inform him that I will be there in about ten minutes. I will have Abi escort me."

The maid bowed and left to do as she was bid.

Abi looked at her questioningly. "You have never had me escort you anywhere." Abi was confused. She was a handmaiden. She was the type of maid that was never seen serving meals or running errands.

Shiori smiled reassuringly. "Consider it a promotion. I've been having you do the basics of what a handmaiden should be doing. I'm generally a good judge of character, but to be sure I was correct about you, I have kept you from following me to important meetings. I am confident in you, though. You are trustworthy, and I don't believe that you will go blabbing to the other maids about what you hear. A true handmaiden is at the side of her Lady at every waking moment. This will be your job from now on."

She smiled broadly at Shiori and nodded her head eagerly. Abi was excited. Not because of the promotion or the better pay, but because she now was going to be privy to sensitive information. She was sure that in the next few minutes she would be meeting this 'Kabuto' person.

"Come. Let's not keep Father waiting."

Shiori led the way out of her room and towards her father's study, followed closely by an overly curious Abi. She knocked twice on the door and, without waiting for an answer, opened it and walked inside.

"Father. Kabuto-san." She sat down and gestured for Abi to do the same next to her.

Abi looked at the man, taking in his white hair that was hanging freely almost to his shoulders. His skin had almost a reptilian texture and his eyes were outlines in purple. If he didn't seem so immediately creepy, he might even be considered handsome.

She looked at him probably longer than was considered polite and cast her eyes to her lap quickly. There was something about him, though. Like she had met him before.

"What is this girl doing here, Shiori? If I recall, I sent for you alone," Lord Ryura began, sizing up Abi.

"As of today, I have made her my official handmaiden. It is her duty to be at my side at all times."

Lord Ryura was still looking Abi over, as if trying to determine whether his daughter had made a good decision or not.

"Very well. She may stay." He looked slightly disconcerted, but continued on anyways. "Kabuto-san and I have made a contract over the passed few days. You have not been allowed in the meetings due to how you handle certain situations. Now that the contract has been drawn up, however, we do need your signature as well." He passed a stack of about six papers towards Shiori, who picked them up and scanned their contents quickly.

Her face screwed up in disgust, and she ripped the sheets down the middle. She threw the paper pieces at her father, standing quickly, and made to leave the room.

A startled Abi jumped up quickly to follow, only to stop abruptly at the sound of Lord Ryura's angry voice.

"Shiori, you do not show such disrespect to your father!"

Shiori stopped in the doorway. "I don't care what you do. I will not sign that contract."

"You must care nothing for your mother." His face was turning red with rage.

But his anger was nothing compared to the fire shining in Shiori's eyes when she turned sharply back around. "I don't care for mother? I care about the morals she taught me. I care about her legacy and everything she wanted to accomplish in life. You think that because I don't throw away everything she spent her life working on, that I don't love her? Quite the opposite actually. You claim to love her, but we both know that if she had any idea of shit you have been doing, she would be ashamed beyond words. She told me once that if she could raise me to be a genuinely nice person, she would feel that she succeeded in life. And you want me to become a heartless bitch to satisfy you? Not going to happen, because you know what? I love Mother more than you do. And I know that she would be proud of the person I have become. I don't need you, and I do not condone the underhanded dealings you have been conducting. When I succeed you, this asshole," she pointed directly at Kabuto's face, "is going to be out of our lives forever."

"You very well may not be succeeding me with the way you are acting!"

"Ha! You don't have another heir. Family tradition states that you cannot appoint another heir unless it's through marriage. With how much you 'love' Mother, I doubt you will take a mistress just to produce another heir. Not to mention, you would still have to wait at least twenty-one years for he or she to even be of legal age to succeed you. You can't disown me even if you tried."

Lord Ryura's face was turning an unhealthy shade of puce and it seemed as if his rage was suppressing his vocal cords.

Shiori smirked triumphantly and exited the room, Abi close behind her.

XXXXXXXXXX

"I-I'm going to scout the area. I want to get a feel for their security measures and start p-planning the best entrance and exit routes."

Itachi nodded and hopped up on a branch where he relaxed against the trunk.

Hinata smiled, glad that at least this time he was willing to trust her with her own mission. While she was appreciative that he was on this trip with her, having been quite nervous to be on her first solo as a jounin, she still wished he would be more confident in her ability to complete this mission on her own. Since she didn't have the confidence in herself, she needed the people closest to her to be confident in her instead. In the end, though, she knew he was just trying to help her do her best.

She jumped into the trees and made her way in the direction of the compound. They were only a few miles away so realistically she could have just used her Byakugan to watch the guards, but range affected the amount of chakra used. The further away she was the more chakra she would need. It was a better idea to just get closer now and save her chakra reserves in case something went wrong later.

When she was about a mile away, she scanned her area to make sure there were no guards this far out and then settled herself on a branch that concealed her from the forest floor.

She focused in on the compound, counting guards and timing their rounds. She calculated the best time frames to get into and out of the compound. After a few hours of making sure that her calculations were correct and consistent with each change in guards, she switched her interest to locating the lord. Based on the fact that there were two guards outside of a room, she guessed the lord was one of the four people in the room.

She focused a little harder and determined that two of the bodies were men and two were women.

Hinata gasped, her Byakugan deactivating with her lack of concentration. Her mind was whirling with thoughts. She took a deep breath and tried to steady herself.

"Byakugan," she whispered. Immediately she focused back on that room wondering if it was even possible. She knew that chakra signature. She had grown up with it. She had sparred against it and lost more times than she could count. But it couldn't be could it? Hinata couldn't believe it. After years of looking, she had found her by chance.

And she couldn't do anything about it.

As much as Hinata was elated to have finally found her sister, she was on a mission. It pained her greatly, but she would have to complete her mission and then return to the Hokage and request leave. Hanabi didn't look to be in any trouble, and Hinata had a duty to her village. She would do her job and come back as soon as she could to bring her sister home.

Hinata felt something wet hit her knee and realized that she was crying. She brushed the back of her hand over her eyes and let out a shaky breath of air.

She had the information she needed and it was getting dark. Hinata decided to call it a day. She was more than prepared for what would need to be done tonight. There was no need to stick around.

She headed back to where she had left Itachi, trying to rid herself of all evidence of crying even though she knew it was futile. He would know. He always knew.

"You've been crying."

Despite all her previous attempts at getting her composure, that was still the first thing out of his mouth.

"She's here." She felt her eyes watering to begin a fresh wave of tears.

While is face stayed emotionless, his eyes betrayed his shock.

"Hanabi?"

Hinata nodded. "And there's nothing I can do about it. I-I know that this mission comes first. I can't do anything to bring her home."

"We can come back and get her. She's held her own for almost three years. She'll be fine for another week and a half."

Hinata nodded, having already planned on that. She pulled her long sleeves over her hands and pressed her palms to her eyes in an effort to keep her tears at bay.

A pair of arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her against a strong body. Without even opening her eyes she wrapped her arms around his neck and cried into his chest.

"I've been looking for her for so long. I can't tell whether I'm happy just to know that she's alive, or sad that now I've found her I can't get to her."

Itachi didn't say anything, just held her a little tighter.

After a couple minutes, her sniffling subsided and she was feeling much better. He may be a stoic killer to everyone else, but to Hinata, Itachi was always a comfort. The way he held her when she was down at her lowest never failed to make her feel secure and, dare she even think it, loved.

"Thank you, Itachi. I'm glad you are here with me."

"Hn."

She smiled into his chest and then pulled away from his embrace.

"I have a while until I go in. I think I'm going to rest a bit." She tried to give a convincing smile and was pleased when Itachi didn't contest her. He simply nodded and allowed her to settle herself on a tree branch.

XXXXXXXXXX

As soon as the doors shut behind her, Abi found questions flying from her mouth with abandon.

"Was that Kabuto? What was the contract about? Was it a marriage contract? Why would those guys even consider a marriage contract?-"

"Take a breath would you?" While her voice was light, Abi could tell that she was still seething.

"It was a marriage contract wasn't it?" Abi guessed. It was the only option that made sense.

Shiori sighed heavily and proceeded to slip out of her kimono. "Run my bath, Abi-chan. Give me a minute to cool off and I will answer your questions after. Deal?"

Abi nodded in understanding. "Of course Shiori-sama." She scurried off to start the bath running, adding the perfect amount of salts and oils to the water.

"Your bath has been drawn, Shiori-sama."

Shiori nodded and went into the bathroom to relax.

Abi went into the adjacent room and flopped on her bed in a very unladylike manner. Her thoughts were on the white haired man. He hadn't looked familiar so much as his chakra signature was familiar. She just couldn't place from where.

She spent the better part of an hour going through her memories, trying to discern where she had felt his presence. Before she had come to a conclusion, though, she was called back to her Lady's room.

"I'm sorry for my behavior before. I realize that you must have been very upset and not willing to discuss the matter. I should not have mentioned it."

Shiori gave a strained smile. "Don't worry. I was just pissed. I'm better now. Still pissed, but better."

Abi nodded and started to work on getting the tangles out of Shiori's hair. Abi quickly braided the long strands into a neat plait, leaving no hair out of place.

A rap on the door drew their attention. Shiori stood and opened the door to the same maid who had called upon them earlier.

"Dinner is ready. Lord Ryura will not start before you arrive."

Shiori's disgust was clear in how her features morphed. "Tell him that I am taking dinner in my room and to not disturb me. Bring back dinner for me and Abi-chan please."

The maid's smile faltered at the idea of bringing that message to the lord. She nodded weakly and scampered off, hoping that the lord was one of those who believed in the concept of 'don't kill the messenger'.

"Well at least now I don't have to go to dinner with those jerks."

"Was I right? About the contract," Abi started tentatively.

"Yeah, you were right. Marriage contract. Since I am of legal age to succeed Father, if I marry, my husband will become head of the estate. I'm assuming that Father decided that our entire estate is worth whatever it is this guy is researching. But I've heard that they test on human subjects, and that they have no boundaries as what is considered humane or not. Some even speculate that the people they experiment on are not exactly volunteers. That's why I don't want anything to do with these people. They're cruel and heartless."

"That's terrible. Do you believe in all of the rumors?"

Shiori shrugged. "I'm not sure. But if I even have to debate on it for a second, I know that they are people I don't want to be tangled with."

"Definitely. It sounds kind of extreme that they would kidnap people to experiment on them though. Scary."

Abi stared at her hands, remembering the voices of the men who had laid siege to her compound three years prior. They had argued amongst themselves about whether they should kill her or keep her captive. One of them had finally convinced the others to capture her so they could test out a new serum. If Neji hadn't come when he had, she was sure that she wouldn't have stood a chance.

She pushed the thought out of her head. That was three years ago. She was safe now. She rubbed her eyes in an attempt to keep them from watering, forgetting that she was wearing the color contacts.

She scrunched her nose in discomfort and wordlessly walked over to the table where she had left the vial. She took the contacts out and dropped them in the saline solution before capping the bottle and slipping it into her pocket.

"Sorry the contacts were starting to bother me. I need to get used to them I guess."

"It's fine since we'll be staying in for the rest of the night. Just try to wear them during the day when we have to interact with people."

Abi nodded and rubbed her eyes absently, feeling relieved to have the contacts out.

"So what do you think Ryura-sama will do now that you disagreed?"

"I'm not sure. I've been very pacifying with his whims lately. I'm not even sure he knows how to react to my insubordination." She laughed lightly at this. "It's empowering to say 'no' to him. I feel like I could take him on in any situation now. Just knowing that I won this is going to work in my advantage in the future."

Abi grinned, happy to see that her Lady was letting go of some of her prior anger.

"I have brought your dinner."

Abi opened the door for the maid and took the tray. She let the maid shut the door and walked back to the table, setting the food down and arranging it in proper order. They ate in silence, each absorbed in their thoughts about the very unwelcome guest. When they finished, Shiori decided to retire for the night, leaving Abi to head to bed as well.

When sleeping failed, she got a book and tried to distract herself. She gave up quickly and resigned herself to tossing and turning all night.

XXXXXXXXXX

Hinata fixed her katana so it hung more comfortably and checked her weapons pouch to ensure everything was in its correct place. She secured her bandage wraps and did a final sweep of her person. Better to be over prepared than under.

"I should be b-back in under a half hour. Hour at max."

Itachi nodded his head in confirmation. "I'll be waiting a mile outside the compound directly to the west."

Hinata nodded and they each took to the trees in different directions. Her mind was racing with the information she had on the estate. She had about a twenty second window to get over the perimeter wall and into the main building without being seen. Plenty of time for her. She would have to discern when this twenty second window was though, and that could pose a problem if the night shifts behaved differently than the afternoon guard.

She stopped about a quarter mile away from the southern wall, activating her bloodline limit to survey the low ranking nin who were on patrol duty. She waited a total of ten minutes to confirm their routes and timing before slinking forward through the darkness.

A guard crossed her sight in front of the wall about fifty feet from her, none the wiser to her presence, and continued walking, baring his back to her. She took the opportunity, and jumped deftly from a tree branch to the top of the wall, hopping down quickly and pressing herself into the shadows. The inner guard would be coming around the corner of the building in about ten seconds, Hinata guessed by his position. She gauged the distance between herself and the building, deciding it was doable. She sprinted across the courtyard and entered through a side door she had seen the assumed servants enter and exit. Just as she closed the door without a sound, the night watchman turned the corner.

She breathed a sigh of relief. This entire wing, which she gathered was the servants' wing, was completely still. Everyone had been asleep before she breached the outer wall, she had made sure of it. Closing her eyes, Hinata recalled the floor plans that Tsunade had given her. She walked through the kitchen and turned right down a long hallway. She was passing servant dormitories now. She followed the flight of stairs at the end of the corridor, constantly watching her surroundings to ensure she was alone. The staircase led to the entryway of the main building. From here, getting to the lord's chambers would be simple.

She headed to the next floor up and into the east wing. She felt her heart clench when she came within ten feet of her sleeping sister, only a wall separating them. She took a deep breath to refocus herself and continued down the hall to the master suite. Quietly, she eased the door open and slipped inside, shutting the door without so much as soft thud.

She walked up to the bed where a snoring man was lying oblivious to his surrounding. She brought out the picture she had been given, and confirmed his identity before slipping a kunai silently out of her pouch. She lifted the covers slightly from where they were bunched around his neck, and placed her kunai under them.

A quick swipe of her blade was all it took for the blankets to stain red. His eyes opened and he gurgled quietly for a couple seconds before the life left him and his body went still.

Having used the blanket of as a shield, there was not much of a mess to clean up, though her blade was still dripping. Hinata made her way to the ensuite bathroom and washed her kunai and hands thoroughly. Making sure to erase all evidence of having been there. She dried her hands on her pants and used her sleeve to wipe her fingerprints from the tap. She did the same to the door as she left to the hallway.

A few doors down, she couldn't help it. It couldn't jeopardize her mission too much. She slid into a room and looked down at the sleeping face of her baby sister. Taking silent steps until she was standing beside the bed, she brushed a strand of hair out of Hanabi's face and smiled at her peaceful form.

"I miss you, sister."

She left the room, determined not to cry. She was on a mission, and she already risked enough by stopping. She didn't need the extra risk of being emotionally distracted.

She quickly made her way through the compound and back to the door that would lead to the courtyard. She waited until the guard turned the corner and was out of sight before she opened the door, wiping it clean, and sprinting for all she was worth to the outer wall. She was twenty feet from it when a voice stopped her cold.

"Leaving so soon? …Hyuuga."

XXXXXXXXXX


	4. Chapter 3

Oh gosh. It's been so long! I have obsessions just so you know. I was caught up in a Game of Thrones whirlwind. I had a hard time leaving the fandom. With nothing else to do though, I caught up on the last few eps of Naruto Shippuden and was reminded why I love Itachi so much. Thus, I was inspired to continue writing this. It's slightly shorter than normal, but I really wanted to get it out there. Also, I haven't edited out typos yet. Sorry. Reviews of any kind make me happy and want to write. Enjoy!

XXXXXXXXXX

Chapter 3

XXXXXXXXXX

"Leaving so soon? …Hyuuga."

Hinata's body froze. Her eyes widened in recognition and fear. She allowed her emotions to reign for only a moment before reminding herself that she was now a shinobi and not the girl she once was. She schooled her features quickly and then turned to face the man from her nightmares.

Kabuto smiled at the female before him, his teeth flashing deadly white under the moon. His eyes were taking in her figure, leering at her.

She felt a shiver try to work its way up her spine but she suppressed it, determined not to show the slightest hint of fear in his presence. She weighed her options as she studied his body language. Even if she tried to run and take the fight away from the estate, she wouldn't get far enough. No one was supposed to know that Konoha had anything to do with this assassination.

But at the moment, she didn't know how she would be able to get away without alerting the compound to her presence. Her brain was working so furiously on an escape plan, she barely had time to dodge the several kunai that came whizzing toward her.

She cart wheeled backwards out of the way and looked up to see that her twenty second window was obviously up. She glared at the guard, but made sure to keep most of her attention on the white haired man, 'Kabuto', if she remembered correctly.

"Kabuto." While it was only one word, she was proud of herself for not stuttering at such a crucial moment.

Kabuto looked surprised for a moment before his smile grew wider. "Oh? You remember me, do you?"

The guard was confused. They were completely ignoring him, and this petite little girl just dodged his kunai effortlessly, even after being caught unawares. She was obviously a foreign ninja. That much he could tell by the headband she wore tied loosely around her neck. Kabuto-sama shouldn't be chatting with her. He and Kabuto should be working together to protect the estate.

"Like I could ever forget."

"Kabuto-sama?" The guard had had enough.

"Continue your rounds. Do not report anything unusual happening."

The guard stared at him perplexed. "Hai?" He didn't understand but he wouldn't question the lord's honored guest. He took one last look at Hinata before continuing in the direction he had originally planned.

"What do you want?" Hinata was curious. He had already destroyed her entire clan. What more could he possibly want?

"Why, you, of course."

Her body reacted on instinct. She threw herself in the air and twisted nimbly, avoiding the sudden onslaught of snakes that were coming from his sleeves. She gathered a bit a chakra in her palm and slammed it hard into the pile of snakes that had accumulated on the ground where she had stood only moments before. The ground shook slightly as her hand connected. A spray of rock and snake emanated from the point of impact. Most of the snakes were killed by the blast, and those which were not, slithered back under Kabuto's robes.

Hinata looked nervously around, knowing that she probably alerted all of the guards to her position. She would need to end this fast or she would blow her entire mission.

She wasn't sure how to handle this type of adversary. Her family's style of fighting was close combat, and while now she was very adept at it, she also knew that getting too close to those snakes was a bad idea. She surveyed her landscape, looking for vantage points and objects that she could use to her advantage.

The terrain was mostly flat. A small stream ran through the left side of where she was standing, and some trees were situated behind her. Other than that, there was nowhere to hide, nowhere to go.

It was too late to hide, anyways. She could hear the sounds of feet hitting the earth as the guards converged on her position. Her lips tightened into a grim line. The guards weren't a cause for worry, but her identity would be compromised. Kabuto wouldn't have talked. He wanted her for his own gain. The guards, on the other hand, would go straight to their master.

Their master, who she had just murdered.

Quickly, she removed her hitai-ate and stowed it in her pouch just as the guards rounded the corner. Her hands extended in front of her in the customary Hyuuga fighting style. She let the guards see where she was before disappearing.

Before they knew what was going on, three of the six guards were incapacitated. She hit the fourth with her clan's signature eight trigrams, stopping at 32 palms so as to not kill him. While she knew that it was better to leave no witnesses, she was not one for killing unnecessarily.

A faint whirring noise made Hinata jump back and flip quickly away from her victim, barely managing to avoid the shuriken that went whizzing by her body. She glared hard at the guard who threw them before disappearing and reappearing behind him. One good chop to the back of his neck left her with only one guard remaining, and an amused looking Kabuto who was watching from the other side of the courtyard.

The last guard circled her warily before moving in to strike. That was his first mistake. Hyuugas are close combat fighters. If he thought he was going to win in a taijutsu battle, he was in for a big surprise. He swung is right fist at her face which she easily avoided by ducking. Her leg kicked out at his torso, but he was quicker than she expected. He grabbed her foot and twisted, forcing her body to face the ground. She smirked midair, before using her weight to her advantage. She hit the ground and put all her force into a forward roll, sending the guard over her head to land flat on his back. He groaned quietly before lying still.

She turned her attention to Kabuto who was smirking at her.

"Very well done," he clapped his hands together in mock applause. "I'd say you're even better than Neji-kun now. In his defense, we haven't exactly allowed him to practice so-"

Hinata was in front of him in an instant, sending a swift round house kick to his head. He ducked easily and stepped away from her. His hands came up in front of him and Hinata realized her mistake. As quick as she could, she darted backwards, trying to put as much space between the white haired man and herself. She had just enough time to focus chakra in her fists before the snakes were upon her. They couldn't take a blow of pure chakra, though, and they fell in a pile at her feet.

Lights had been turning on in the household, Hinata noticed. The ruckus was causing the inhabitants to wake. The door Hinata had used to enter the house earlier opened and spilled it's light into the courtyard. There was a gasp, and a silhouette disappeared back inside. People began looking out of the windows, and servants were making their way outside to watch the spectacle.

It distracted Hinata enough for Kabuto to move on the offensive. He raced towards her, the shuriken she threw having no effect on his pace. With her hands glowing blue, she didn't have to worry as much about the snakes, but engaging in a taijutsu battle with this man could prove deadly, she knew. He started with a punch that erupted into more snakes, but Hinata met it with a punch of her own. His snakes disintegrated, but it was of no deterrent to him. When he kicked, she countered. When he punched, she blocked. Her movements were slowing though. He knew it.

And she knew it.

Seeing her opportunity arise, she quickly put plenty of distance between them. She was going to have to work on her stamina when she returned home. If she returned home that is. At the rate this battle was going she wasn't quite sure she was getting out of this one.

"Hinata?"

A startled voice to her right, caught Hinata's attention, and she could have kicked her sister for giving away that she knew her. Hanabi's eyes would have been a dead give away, but she didn't need to draw attention to herself.

Hinata didn't even look at her sister before biting her thumb and slamming her palm on the ground.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

A snow white tiger, standing taller that Hinata at the shoulders, appeared in a poof of smoke next to her. Keeping her eyes on Kabuto, who looked like a cat who just ate the canary, she slipped two kunai into the tigers collar.

"Keigo, protect Hanabi."

She let her eyes meet those of her sister's and nodded her head. The tiger stalked his way over to the bystanders, keeping his gaze solely focused on Kabuto.

Hanabi nodded back. She moved away from the group and quickly picked a spot that she could easily defend herself from. Keigo was with her in an instant. She grabbed the two kunai from the tiger's collar and proceeded to slice the bottom off of her yukata. There was no way she would be able to move in the clothing she had been wearing.

"Well, isn't this a sight?" Kabuto sneered. "The wench following around the lord's bitch of a daughter turns out to be a Hyuuga. And you were right under my nose the entire time."

Shiori gasped from the doorway as her sights focused on her handmaiden who was crouched in a defensive position like it was the most natural position in the world.

"Not my fault you're an idiot."

Hinata wanted to slap her sister for provoking him. Hanabi had always been the outspoken of the two; she should have seen that comment coming. It didn't help to be aggravating an enemy who was already keen on killing them, though. Or worse, capturing them. From what he had said in the beginning, she was under the impression that he had Neji-nisan prisoner.

"Boss? What's going on?"

"You are being useless, that's what is going on. Did you even realize that this girl has been losing to me for the passed ten minutes? I should kill you when I finish with her." He smirked then. "Unless you capture that one." He pointed a perfectly manicured finger at Hanabi. "If you bring her to me alive, though I could care less about her state of health, I will reward you."

The man in the doorway who had spoken, turned and said something to the men behind him. He nodded his head and walked through the crowd like he owned the place. His cronies followed dutifully, their focus solely on Hinata's baby sister.

She moved slightly to go help her sister but was quickly reminded who her opponent was when three shuriken lodged themselves in the dirt right where she was about to step.

Her glare moved from the men to Kabuto. He was smiling sinisterly.

"Don't worry, I won't make you watch when they have their way with her. After all, I did say I have no concern about her health condition so long as she doesn't die." His last sentence wasn't meant for her she knew. It was him giving the men permission to do as they liked with her sister. Hinata felt bile rise in her throat. She choked it down, determined to not let him see how much his word affected her. "She's a pretty little thing. Not as pretty as you though, Hyuuga heiress. If you're good, I'll let you be my plaything instead of staying in those dirty cells where your cousin is. You'd get to stay in my quarters."

Hinata didn't think she had ever felt so nauseous in her life. It was taking all her will power to keep her dinner in her stomach. She was surprised with the ease she was able to speak the next sentence.

"Where is Neji-nisan?"

"Oh he's hanging around somewhere near my laboratory. Don't worry. He's fine. Though, he has been rendered blind. I was a little impatient trying out my new serums." His face twisted into a malicious smirk. "Do you want to see him?"

Hinata answered by charging her fist with chakra. She flew forward, faster than she had been before. Her fist made contact with his cheek sending him stumbling a few paces back. His smirk disappeared and was replaced with pure fury. She jumped backwards before he had a chance to counter. As her feet touched the ground, she heard her sister scream. Her attention diverted to where she had seen her sister last.

Keigo had three bodies at his feet and was holding off two men. Hanabi's clothes were caked in the blood of the two men she had killed. She was being restrained by one man, while another tried to get his hands on the tie of her yukata. She screamed and kicked at him as he cursed loudly.

It was the perfect opportunity for Kabuto. While Hinata's attention was on her sister, he had closed the distance between them. His fist slammed into her crossed arms. She had just managed to block his attack, but it was too late to avoid the powerful blow. It sent her tumbling across the courtyard until her back hit a tree and fractured into a million tiny splinters.

Black dots danced in before her eyes, threatening to erase her vision. She shook her head, the screaming of her sister making it's way through her foggy brain. Slowly the world came back into focus.

A person was standing in front of her and it took her a second before she realized the person was facing away from her. Her initial fear turned to relief when she caught sight of the black hair pulled into a loose tie. Her sister's screams had stopped and Hinata could see why. The men all around her were dead and blood was dripping from the kunai held in Itachi's right hand.

He stepped closer to Kabuto, a deadly aura emanating from his person. Kabuto looked less confident now but his smirk had returned to his face.

Suddenly it was like a light bulb went off in Hinata's head. She knew exactly how they were going to get out of this, and she knew Itachi would follow her lead.

"Itachi-taichou. I'm s-sorry for getting caught."

Itachi stopped advancing on Kabuto, letting her know that he was listening. She knew he would recognize the honorific.

"I-I couldn't just let him leave though! I saw it… with my Byakugan. He killed Lord Ryura!" Hinata made sure to say it loud enough that the inhabitants of the compound heard, and sure enough, there was a mad scramble of servants trying to get to the Lord's bed chambers. Why no one had been suspicious of his absence this whole time was beyond Hinata's comprehension but she welcomed the fact all the same.

Kabuto's eyes had widened perceptibly when she said those words, then narrowed quickly.

"You lying little bitch."

He started for her before remembering that his opponent was now Itachi. The Uchiha disappeared from sight, the clashing ring of metal on metal alerting onlookers to his new location. Too fast for the normal eye to see, two figures came together repeatedly, the metal of Itachi's katana singing against the edge of Kabuto's kunai.

Realizing that he was fighting a losing battle, Kabuto disengaged himself from Itachi and jumped back into the trees. He took one last look at his fallen men and then was gone.

Itachi walked back to where Hinata was struggling to stand. His expression looked outwardly stoic, but Hinata could tell that his rage was boiling just under the surface. She didn't know if it was directed at her, so as she stood shakily, she kept her eyes downcast.

Which is why it surprised her greatly when Itachi pulled her to him and held her against his body protectively.

"Quick thinking," he whispered in her ear.

She smiled in relief. "It never w-would have worked if Hanabi weren't here. We can just say that we received in-intelligence that she was here and we came to get her. Scouting the area is standard protocol for every mission."

"Lucky for us."

Hinata frowned and pulled away from him. "How come you weren't here earlier?"

Itachi stepped away from her and started to walk toward where Hanabi was comforting a hysterical Shiori.

"You didn't need me earlier."

Hinata couldn't help but smile.

XXXXXXXXXX

It took over an hour for the compound to calm down to a manageable hustle and bustle. Itachi and Hinata were allowed inside at the behest of Hanabi. Though they were confined to a small dining room, Hinata couldn't have been happier with the outcome. She had totally botched her first solo mission and it was time for damage control.

As Hinata sat tapping her index fingers together, a nervous habit she had yet to break from, Itachi stoically with his back against the wall. Hinata's gaze kept flitting up to Itachi. She was waiting to see the disappointment in his eyes. After all, if it weren't for him, she would definitely not be going home alive. She saw his anger earlier, but after he pulled her into his arms, she wasn't sure anymore if it was directed at her.

Her cheeks grew warm as she thought of the hug. She had never felt as safe as she did in that moment. She couldn't understand why he did it, though. It as almost like he was relieved that she was okay. But that couldn't be right. Itachi wasn't one to openly display affection, which led her to believe that there was more to it. She couldn't figure it out. If he had a sister, would that be his reaction after saving her?

Hinata shook her head. She couldn't believe that she was disappointed with that thought. When did she ever want Itachi-nisan to think of her as anything other than family? Yes, she had grown up in the last two years and noticed the male population. Her failed relationship with Konoha's number one knuckle head ninja was proof enough of that. But when had she started seeing Itachi-nisan as more than a brother figure? He stayed at her apartment frequently. She saw him with his shirt off on many occasions and still their relationship had remained completely platonic.

Until now.

She didn't even know what was so different about this hug that made these questions arise in her mind. She had hugged him on a regular basis the past couple of years. When she needed comforting after a mission. When he wouldn't admit that he needed comforting after a mission. When she was excited about something. And mostly just when she felt like it. So why was this one making her flustered?

With her thoughts so wrapped around her confusing feelings, Hinata realized that she never properly thanked Itachi for saving her and Hanabi. She looked up to see his expression was inscrutable as ever and she sighed.

"Ni-san?"

His gaze met hers though he didn't give a verbal response.

"Umm… I-I just wanted to thank you for saving Hanabi and me. I don't know what I would h-have done if you weren't here."

"Hn. I'm just glad you weren't injured."

Hinata's head cocked to the side slightly, trying to analyze his words. His eyes gave nothing away before he turned to stare at the wall again.

She didn't have much time to dwell on it, as Shiori and Hanabi took that moment to walk through the door. Hinata stood immediately and bowed to Shiori, as did Itachi.

"Sit, please. We have a lot to discuss." Shiori made her way to the head of the table, where she looked warily at the seat cushion before actually sitting. "Please tell me your purpose here and how the events and hour prior initiated."

"Taichou?"

Itachi nodded at her, giving her his fake consent to take control of the conversation. It was her mission.

"My name is Hinata Hyuuga, head of the Hyuuga clan and j-jounin of Konoha. This is Itachi-taichou, also a jounin of Konoha." She took a deep breath and promised herself not to stutter for the rest of her explanation. Easier said than done. "Two years ago, the Hyuuga clan was attacked and only three members survived of we are aware. Myself, Hanabi, and my cousin Neji. Konoha had recently received intelligence of a maid here with striking resemblance to a Hyuuga. We sent a team to confirm her identity, before Itachi and I were sent as a retrieval squad. We were planning on speaking with Lord Ryura in the morning; however, it is standard procedure to scout the area before entering the premises. I was on reconnaissance when I saw Kabuto in the Lord's chambers. The Byakugan allows me to see through building walls. When I realized what had happened, and that Kabuto was heading my way, I couldn't just stay where I was. Even if I had run, he would have sensed my presence by then and probably seen me as a threat. I chose to confront him, hoping that Itachi-taichou would figure out what was going on and come to my aid. I apologize for harming your guards. They saw me as a threat, but I tried my hardest not to leave any lasting damage." Hinata took another deep breath and looked up from the spot on the table she had been staring intently at. That was probably the most words Hinata had ever spoken without stuttering even once. She knew how crucial it was for Shiori to buy their cover story though. This mission could jeopardize relations with the Grass if it went wrong.

Well, more wrong than it already had.

Shiori's stare seemed to go right through Hinata. Like she could see straight into her soul and tell if she was lying. After a few moments, Shiori nodded her head and whispered something to Hanabi, who whispered something back.

"Abi… Excuse me, Hanabi has confirmed your story and so I will chose to believe you. I understand that being a handmaiden is not the best of jobs, but Hanabi has been treated well here. I only ask that you leave it up to her as to whether she leaves or stays. I know that the chances she will stay are slim, but I ask that you extend her that courtesy."

"Of course, Shiori-sama." Hinata bowed, hiding the relief on her face. "She is my s-sister, and after everything we've been through, the l-last thing I would want to do is take away her happiness."

Hanabi proceeded to launch herself across the table and into her sister. Hinata just managed to look up in time to catch her sister as they collided together. Her arms instinctively wrapped around Hanabi, though the initial jolt had sent shocks of pain up her left arm making her grimace. She knew Itachi caught the expression, and figured he would ask about it later. For now she just wanted to embrace her sister who she had not seen in years.

Hinata knew that she was on the verge of tearing up. She may be a skilled kunoichi now but getting to actually feel that her sister was real, was almost too much. They may have not gotten along very well when they were younger, but that was in the past. They had perspective now. They understood the concept of family, and based by Hanabi's grip on Hinata's jacket, they weren't going to be parting anytime soon.

"I want to go back to Konoha with you."

Her voice was muffled, but it caused a huge grin to spread across Hinata's face. "I'm glad. I've missed you, Hanabi."

Shiori seemed happy for the both of them, even though she would be losing her trusted handmaiden. "I guess that's settled then. Please feel free to stay a few nights. I'm sure Hanabi has some packing to do. I'll have the cooks serve breakfast in an hour as the sun is already rising. Feel free to sleep, though. Hanabi can show you to your room. I must apologize, but I have only one more guest quarter available. Kabuto's men were pigs, and the rooms will take some time to clean properly. I hope this is okay. Now, if you will please excuse me, I have family matters to attend to."

Shiori smiled genuinely at the two sisters who each couldn't get rid of their grins, before making her way out of the dining room and disappearing from sight.

Hanabi disentangled herself from Hinata and sat next to her. Hinata was almost sad for the loss, but knew she shouldn't be too clingy.

"So you're a ninja now?"

Of all the conversation starters she had imagined, Hinata didn't think that was one of them. She laughed and tapped the hitai-ate that was tied securely around her neck once more.

"I've m-made it to jounin status. Itachi-taichou has been training me since… since that night. I'm sure we could get y-you into the academy if that's what you wish. You always were the better fighter of the two of us."

Hanabi frowned at the mention of the academy. "I'd still have to go through the academy?"

Hinata laughed. "I was a year older than you when I went through it. It-its not too bad. You'll jump up the ranks pretty quickly. Before you know it, you'll be chunin."

Hanabi still was pouting, causing Hinata to giggle more. Quickly her giggles turned into a yawn, reminding her of the lack of sleep she had experienced as of late. She glanced at Itachi who had slept even less than she, and could tell that he was tired. Anyone else wouldn't have noticed, but Hinata knew better.

"I would love to c-catch up, Hanabi, but I would like to be coherent for our conversation. Right now, I don't know h-how I'm keeping my eyes open."

Hanabi seemed slightly sad that they would have to part so soon, but one look at Hinata's exhausted expression, and she was leading them to their new sleeping chambers. They came the first door in the west wing, where Hanabi left them after a particularly long hug from Hinata.

It was a gorgeous room, very similar to what they used to have at the Hyuuga compound for guests. Hinata hadn't actually been in the guest quarters at the Uchiha compound for she had been staying with the main family, but she imagined they had comparable buildings. She made her way inside the room, almost running into the vanity, since she was looking elsewhere at the enormous bed that sat centered against the right wall. She quickly righted herself after her close call, and made her way to flop unceremoniously on the bed.

Itachi was much more reserved in his movements, as expected. He moved silently over to the unoccupied side of the bed and started unpacking his few belongings. She watched him with hazy eyes as he removed his shirt and started to unwind his thigh wrappings. Her exhaustion was getting the better of her vision. She had been kept awake by her nervousness earlier but now that they had gotten things settled, she could feel the effects of her depleted chakra.

Sighing, she sat upright with some difficulty and started to remove her weapons. She took her jacket off, leaving her in a standard black tank top. She was about to crawl under the covers when a hand on her shoulder stopped her. She looked up just as Itachi knelt before her. He reached out and grabbed her left hand, scrutinizing the large bruise on her forearm from when she had blocked Kabuto's punch. It was already a dark shade of blue with green rimming the edges. Itachi dipped his hand into a tub of creamy liquid and began to spread it on her arm. The initial touch hurt but she could feel the salve cooling her arm immediately. He spread it evenly over her arm before grabbing some bandages, and wrapping it securely.

Hinata's mind was reeling the entire time. He had never been this attentive before. Had never touched her with such care. Sure, he had tended to her wounds before, usually after a particularly grueling spar, but he was never so gentle. She couldn't wrap her head around his subtle change in behavior.

"Let's get some sleep, Hinata-chan."

Hinata was broken from her thoughts by his voice and nodded absentmindedly. She maneuvered under the covers, not caring that she was dirty and sweaty and probably smelled bad. She could shower when she woke and have the maids change the linens later. She felt the mattress dip with Itachi's weight, his comforting presence blanketing her in a protective barrier.

Sleep came quickly for her.

XXXXXXXXXX


	5. Chapter 4

So was the last chapter _that_ bad? I was really disheartened. I mean 3 reviews isn't an unreasonable goal for each chapter right? Thank you KagomeMarie for faithfully reviewing every chapter. You lifted my mood considerably and were the reason I finished this chapter. Also, thank you Anonymous. Your review is equally appreciated :] Well, if you all didn't like last chapter than this is going to suck. It's kinda a filler chapter, but it needed to be done. Enjoy?

***As of approximately 2:30pm 2/4/13 (GMT +10:00) I have edited this chapter. I had forgotten some details that were brought to my attention by imsabbel.

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Chapter 4

XXXXXXXXXX

Hinata woke to tears streaming onto her pillow. She had tried her hardest to remain strong the night before. She didn't want Kabuto to know how much his words had cut her. His presence alone was enough to make her want to cry, but she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing her break. As she slept, though, it seemed her guard around her emotions had dropped. Still frames of the burning Hyuuga compound and imagined scenarios of Neji being tortured flashed as she squeezed her eyes shut, the flow of tears never ending.

She clutched her pillow tighter to her face, muffling the sound of her sobs. She didn't realize that her bedmate had woken and snaked his arm around her waist until he pulled her to his chest. Her raging emotions never wavered in their assault, leaving Hinata with no choice but to bury her face into Itachi's naked chest and let them reign over her body. Her form shook in his embrace and a small gasp would escape her every now and then, but otherwise the room remained silent.

An hour and a half was how long she had cried. She was now emotionally, mentally, and physically exhausted. Steadily her body stopped quaking and her breathing evened out as she fell back into a fitful slumber.

Itachi never let go.

XXXXXXXXXX

The sky was just starting to darken when Hinata woke for the second time. She was alone in the bed, and for a split second she panicked before hearing the shower running in the en suite bathroom. She sighed and rubbed her eyes, which were gritty and dry from her crying session earlier. Slowly, the room came into focus as Hinata sat up against the headboard.

She released a long breath as her mind began to wander. Her emotions were in complete turmoil. Seeing Kabuto had brought back all of the pain of losing her family that she had tried so hard to move on from. Then there was being reunited with her lost sister. That had brought on an immeasurable amount of joy, once the battle was over and she knew they were safe. Itachi's actions that morning brought on a confusion of comfort, protection, and some deeper feelings that Hinata was just not ready to analyze yet. Crying in Itachi's embrace had allowed her some peace for a while and dimmed the scale of her distress. Now she would be able to get a grip on herself for at least the rest of the mission. Under the security of her own roof, she could let go of all the pent up pain and confusion. For now, though, she needed to remember her place. She was a shinobi, and it was time for her to start acting like one.

She heard the water shut off, breaking her from her thoughts. A moment of shuffling later, and Itachi emerged from the bathroom cloaked in steam. A pristine white towel was thrown carelessly across his shoulders, a pair of standard black ninja pants slung low on his hips. He paused in the doorway, noticing Hinata was now awake. Their eyes locked before Hinata's gaze followed a drop of water that had fallen from his hair. It trailed slowly down his chest, weaving down his abs, before getting absorbed by the waistband of his pants. When her sights traveled back up to his face, his lips were tugging slightly upwards in a smirk and he had one eyebrow raised.

Realizing what she had just done, Hinata blushed ten shades of red and quickly looked down at her lap. She heard him chuckle quietly, and it only served to embarrass her further. Keeping her sights firmly fixed away from Itachi, Hinata got up from the bed and pulled a clean set of clothes out of her bag.

"Ita-nisan, a-are you d-done with the b-bathroom?" She hadn't stuttered that much around Itachi since she had first moved into the Uchiha compound. She could almost feel his amusement.

"Hai."

She used the opportunity to escape to the bathroom, still steamy from Itachi's shower. She shut the door and finally let herself look up from the floor. Never had she ogled Itachi before. She had seen him shirtless more times than she could count; it was his favorite way to sleep when he was staying at her apartment. She had never once had the urge to trace his muscles with her fingertips as she just did when watching that water droplet.

She groaned aloud before stripping out of her clothes and hoping the shower could somehow cleanse her mind as well it would cleanse her body. Gently, She removed the bandage Itachi had wrapped her arm in, hissing slightly when she brushed the tender bruise.

It looked much worse now that it had before she went to sleep. She gripped her hands into a fist and felt her muscles cry out in protest. She unclenched her hand quickly from the pain. While she knew she hadn't completely broken it, she was relatively sure the bone was fractured. Unfortunately, mending bones was not something any medic could do. Hinata's knowledge of healing extended as far as stitching muscle and skin back together. She never had learned to heal bruises as they were never life threatening. Flesh wounds, on the other hand, had the ability to kill a ninja due to blood loss. Thus, her first lessons when having taken a basic medi-nin class a couple months ago were how to heal basic cuts and stabs. Nothing that could help her current situation.

Sighing, She stepped under the warm spray, making sure to keep her injured arm away from the direct contact with the water. Slowly, she felt her tense muscles relax. The water warmed her through, and the shampoo she was massaging into her scalp released a tropical scent that made her want to vacation on a beach. She rinsed the shampoo out of her hair and worked the matching conditioner through her locks. As the conditioner sat, Hinata looked at the bottle in her hand, recognizing it from the display window of a ritzy salon in Konoha. While Hinata had more than enough money to indulge in lavish material items, she liked the more simple side of life. In this case, though, she was willing to splurge. The smell alone was heaven. She set the bottle down and reached for another that held body wash. She poured it on a wash cloth, realizing that this company made an entire line of bath products, not just shampoo and conditioner. She lathered her body, getting rid of the grime, dirt, and dried blood that marred her skin. When she finally deemed herself clean enough, she rinsed the conditioner out of her hair and stepped out of the shower.

It took her only a few minutes to dry off, dress, and brush her hair. She walked out of the bathroom, her mood lightened by the overall feeling of being clean. Until she realized that Itachi was still in their room. With the recent incident still fresh in her mind, Hinata blushed and looked at the floor as she walked back to her back to put her dirty clothes away.

"Let me see your arm."

Hinata almost jumped, not realizing he had crossed the room. She stood up and moved to sit on the bed, much like how they were the last time Itachi checked her arm.

Itachi crouched down, balancing on the balls of his feet in front of her. He took her left hand and turned it a couple directions, getting a better look at her now almost black bruise.

"You've fractured it." A statement, not a question.

"H-hai. I thought so too. I haven't had a chance to learn how to mend bone yet, though." She knew his statement was nothing more than an observation, but Hinata couldn't help but feel like he was reprimanding her. The biggest concern to Hinata was whether he was disappointed in her or not. After Kabuto fled, he told her that she hadn't needed him earlier in the fight, but was he disappointed that she had needed him at all?

"I got careless. I should have stayed focused on Kabuto."

Itachi looked at her then, almost a hint of puzzlement crossing through his eyes. "You were distracted by Hanabi. She is your sister and you were trying to protect her. There's nothing to be ashamed of."

Hinata looked down at her hands, one still clasped in Itachi's. "I know, b-but I feel like I'm back w-where I started. I c-completely screwed up my mission and had to be saved by and off-duty ninja who isn't even su-supposed to be here. I'm still weak."

Almost three years she had been dealing with the guilt of leaving Neji on his own that night. Almost three years she had to face the fact that if she had been stronger, she could have helped him. So for almost three years she trained harder than ever before. Having been learning the fighting style of the Hyuuga all her life allowed her to jump to chunin within the first six months. Her jounin test had come a little over two years later. She was finally feeling like she was capable of protection herself. Battling Kabuto had brought to the surface all of her insecurities and notions of inadequacy.

"Hokage-sama had no knowledge of Kabuto's location. She never would have sent a single kunoichi if she had. As for screwing up your mission, you adapted well to the situation. You have done everything right."

Hinata couldn't quite bring herself to believe him, even though her logical side screamed at her that Itachi never lied. Not only that, he praised her. It wasn't an outward "good job" but it was probably the closest she would ever get with him.

She shook her head is disagreement but changed the subject quickly. She didn't want to show him anymore of her weakness.

"Do you have any more of the salve?" She didn't look at him.

She heard him sigh before standing and going to retrieve the salve and fresh bandages. He came back and resumed his position in front of her, much to Hinata's surprise. She had automatically assumed that he would have left her to tend to her injury alone. His actions were starting to confuse her again.

"You don't h-have to. I can manage."

She got one of his no nonsense stares that breeched no argument. She kept her mouth shut after that.

XXXXXXXXXX

"I'm sorry I lied to you."

Shiori ignored the dark haired girl and made her way to the bathroom. Kneeling by the large tub, she turned on the tap and the warm water flowed gracefully, emitting a cloud of steam. She let her fingers brushed over the surface of the water, making sure the temperature was pleasing. She continued to pretend as if she were alone until the bath was full. Only then did she look up into the pleading milky eyes of her former handmaiden.

Shiori exhaled slowly and waved Hanabi over. After only slight hesitation, Hanabi moved to stand before her.

"You changed earlier, but didn't have a chance to bathe. Let's get you clean and we'll talk while we wash you. How does that sound?"

Hanabi nodded uncertainly. She had bathed Shiori many a time but never the other way around. Hanabi wasn't as uncaring about her nudity as Shiori, so it was with slightly nervous movements that she removed her clothing and stepped into the water.

Shiori had already poured a generous amount of shampoo in her hand and gestured for Hanabi to wet her hair. With careful movements, Shiori began massaging the shampoo into a lather, working her way methodically to the ends of each strand of hair.

"You know I always thought of you as more of a little sister than a servant. Making you my handmaiden was a way to protect you and keep you close. It's because of that, I can't say I don't feel betrayed a little. I understand why you did it, but it still hurts, just the same. Sometimes our emotions just don't care what logic has to say, I guess."

Hanabi opened her mouth to respond and then shut it again, trying to formulate an answer. "The fewer people who knew, the better. I knew that I could trust you to not tell, but I figured it would be better for you to just remain ignorant. Then you would never have to lie on my behalf."

"I wouldn't have minded. Lying, I mean. I was aware of what happened to your clan. If it was to protect you, I would have lied for you in a heartbeat." Shiori took a cup and began to rinse Hanabi's hair.

"You may have been willing to protect me, but _I'm_ not willing to have anyone protect me anymore. Not after Neji…"

Shiori's hands stilled against her scalp, the slimy conditioner dripping into the bath water. Her voice came out as a whisper.

"What happened to Neji?"

Hanabi brought her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around herself. She stayed silent as she hid her face from view. The only indication she had started to cry was her unsteady breathing and the white knuckle grip she had on herself.

Shiori didn't offer words of comfort or a warm embrace. She knew that Hanabi wanted neither. So instead she quietly continued bathing her until the water turned brown with caked blood and dirt. She had to drain the tub and refill it before she could finish getting her clean. By the time she was done rinsing the conditioner out of Hanabi's hair, Shiori noticed that the young girl's breaths had evened and her shoulders were no longer so tense.

"Come. Let's get you dressed."

Hanabi rose, her face showing no traces of her tears, and exited the tub. A large fluffy towel was handed to her to dry off while Shiori left to retrieve some clothes. Hanabi was just finishing wringing out her long hair when Shiori came back with a beautiful light blue kimono.

The fabric was obviously silk, Hanabi could tell. Lilac colored sakura petals adorned the edges with satin stitch embroidery giving the details depth. A dark purple obi accompanied it, complete with silver embroidery accents.

"This is one of my old kimonos. I think the lavender colored petals will go well with your eyes."

Hanabi retracted the hand, which had reached out to caress the material subconsciously. "I can't wear one of your kimonos, Shiori-sama."

"You no longer need to add that honorific. We're equals now. I am now Lady of these lands, but you are heiress to the Hyuuga clan."

Hanabi looked away with a frown. "The Hyuuga clan is nothing now."

"The strength of your clan dwells not it its numbers, Hanabi-chan. It lies in the hearts of its kin. You and your sister. And I can tell that your sister makes a good Head."

Hanabi snorted ungracefully, recalling all the times she had mocked her big sister about her failures as an heiress; all the times the elders praised her and not Hinata; and all the times their father shook his head in disappointment at his eldest.

"She's finally grown up. I'll giver her that." Hanabi signed then. "I have a lot to atone for with Hinata."

"She's already forgiven you for whatever is causing you guilt."

"How do you know? You met her for all of ten minutes."

Shiori flicked Hanabi's nose, chuckling at the younger girl's reaction. "Cheeky. Don't doubt my ability to read people's natures. You sister is a good person, I can tell. Now, let's get you dressed, shall we?"

Hanabi sighed but acquiesced all the same and in under half hour she was presentable. Shiori smiled at her creation. Normally it was the other way around, Hanabi doing Shiori's hair and fiddling with getting the kimonos to look just right. Now it was Shiori pampering Hanabi.

She held a hand out for Hanabi to take. "Come, Hanabi-chan. I have yet to tell my mother the news. I want you to be there with me."

Hanabi nodded, taking the proffered hand in hers, and together the two women left the sanctuary of Shiori's room to face reality.

XXXXXXXXXX

A knock sounded on the door just as Itachi finished wrapping Hinata's arm. He stood, moving to the door and opening it. Hinata could tell from the way the girl spoke that Itachi's presence alone was making her uncomfortable.

"Shiori-sama has re-requested your presence in the dining room if you are f-feeling adequately rested," the girl said in a very quiet tone, a slight tremble in her voice.

"Hn."

Hinata would have laughed if she didn't feel so sorry for the girl. Not many people could differentiate Itachi's monosyllabic murmurs and that little servant was left completely confused as to how to respond. Taking pity on her, Hinata stood and walked over to stand next to Itachi, a warm smile spread across her features.

"Is dinner now?" Hinata asked.

"Hai."

"If you could please escort us, we would v-very appreciative."

"Hai. This way please."

Hinata and Itachi followed the girl a few paces back. Hinata moved closer to his side so she could whisper at him without being overheard.

"You're mean, Ita-nisan." Her words were sharp, but her tone betrayed her true thoughts on the matter. She was on the verge of giggling.

The rest of the walk was silent. The servant girl opened the door to the dining room and ushered them inside.

Hinata sat across from her sister much like during the first meeting. Shiori nodded in greeting. Hinata noticed the slight redness that rimmed her eyes, despite how well her makeup hid it. It was obvious that she had been crying heavily. The notion wracked Hinata with guilt. She was the cause of Shiori's pain.

Hinata ducked her head quickly, unable to keep her features as stoic as she would have liked. After a deep calming breath, she was able to look up again.

"I hope you slept well," Shiori started. "You did miss two meals, though. You must be hungry."

It was Itachi who answered for the both of them.

"Hai. We are very appreciative of your hospitality. Especially considering the circumstances."

Shiori sighed. "Yes, the timing could have been better; however, if you had not come when you did, we would have not known it was Kabuto who murdered my father. It's a blessing and a curse. Instead of losing just one, I'll be losing two of my precious people."

"I'm sorry," Hinata couldn't help the apology that spilled from her lips.

Shiori smiled ruefully. "You have nothing to be sorry for. There is nothing wrong with wanting your sister to be back with you. Besides, it's not like you killed Father."

Hinata had to utilize all of her training not to draw a quick breath or flinch. Itachi watched her out of the corner of his eye, only noticing an increased heart rate. Nothing that could have given her away to a mere civilian.

"So when will you be departing?" Shiori broke the awkward silence that had fallen.

"We should leave as soon as possible. Preferably at dawn," Itachi answered.

Shiori's face fell slightly. "Is it possible for you to leave midmorning? We've scheduled my father's funeral service for tomorrow morning, and it would mean a lot to me if Hanabi-chan could be there."

Hinata saw that Itachi was about to give a firm 'No' so she cut him off before he could refute.

"Hai. But no l-later than ten. Kabuto knows our location and the village we c-come from. The less time we g-give him to plan an ambush the better."

Shiori nodded in understanding. Whatever she was about to say next got interrupted by the servants bringing various dishes to the table. The group remained quiet as the food was placed in front of them, a silence that lasted the rest of the meal.

XXXXXXXXXX

The funeral service went relatively quickly. Hinata felt the full force of her guilt and let a few tears escape, allowing the bystanders around her believe they were tears of sympathy. As quickly as it had hit her, Hinata got control of her emotions and schooled her features to an acceptable shinobi façade for the occasion. She was thankful when it was finished, though watching her sister interact and comfort Shiori peaked her interest. A longing that she didn't know she even had surfaced, making Hinata realize that Shiori and Hanabi had a closer sisterly bond than she ever did with Hanabi. Hopefully that would be changing soon.

It was nine-thirty when Itachi, Hinata, and Hanabi stood at the front gates, ready for the trek ahead of them. Shiori had followed, wanting to only have to say goodbye at the last possible moment.

Shiori bowed respectfully to Itachi and Hinata, who reciprocated the gesture. "Take care of her, please. Don't let anything happen to my Hanabi-chan."

Hinata smiled genuinely at the blonde haired woman. "No harm will come to her so long as I can help it."

Shiori smiled back before turning to Hanabi and embracing the girl tightly. "Don't get into too much trouble, and watch that mouth of yours. Or at least try." She smirked at the younger girl who had pulled a face. "And remember to write to me so I'll know your settling in and happy."

Hanabi nodded eagerly. "I will. I'll miss you Shiori."

"I'll miss you too, Hanabi-chan. Now you better get going. Konoha is five days travel from here." She directed the latter part to the entire group.

"We thank you for your hospitality," Itachi said, and with a final respectful bow, he turned on his heel, walking away.

Hinata gave one last bow before linking arms with her sister and starting off after Itachi.

XXXXXXXXXX

Hinata reached a hand up to her face to keep her eye from twitching. Never had she been so happy to see the Konoha gates come into view.

The first day of travel had gone perfectly. Hinata had taken the opportunity to find out what happened to Hanabi after 'the night', neither girl speaking of how they actually escaped. Each of the girls swapped stories during the day's journey and that occupied a majority of the time.

Hanabi had apparently run north, stopping only when she had crossed the border into Grass. She had been taken in by different random strangers in each village. She would stay only long enough to repay their kindness before moving on to a new town. After traveling for over three months, Hanabi had deemed it safe enough to stay in one place for a longer period of time than a week. She did some digging, finding out from some villagers that the lord of the lands had a very well guarded compound and was looking for more servants. It was the perfect cover. She had been staying at Shiori's ever since.

Hinata talked of how she joined the ninja academy. She passed the test in a few weeks and became a Konoha genin. She was placed on Team Eight with Inuzuka Kiba, his nin-dog Akamaru, and Aburame Shino. Their team leader was a lovely woman named Kurenai. Though most teams consisted of four ninja, Team Eight had been left one member short when originally formed. Akamaru was believed to fill that gap. Because Hinata was a special case when she graduated the academy, the Hokage decided against putting her on a team with the other genin and placed her on Team Eight as their fourth member. She spoke in hushed tones of her short relationship with Naruto, laughing at Hanabi's incredulous expression when she described his personality. And lastly she recalled her favorite memories that revolved around the Uchihas, her surrogate family. She felt she couldn't quite portray Mikoto as well as she would have liked, but was content since Hanabi would be meeting her very soon. Sasuke was a different matter. She could describe him in one word: broody. She never had much contact with Fugaku, but when she did he was always cordial, though somewhat cold and almost always beyond stern. Hinata didn't even attempt to go into details about Itachi. That had been a touchy subject as of late. Overall, Hinata thought she gave a pretty good overview of her life for the passed three years.

The second day, the conversation slowly dwindled until a comfortable silence overtook them. They were making very good time, thanks to Hanabi not being a normal civilian.

The silence was broken by Hanabi's inquiry of when they were going to get there. Followed by a comment about being tired. Followed by a whine about her feet hurting. Followed by a gripe about how walking for so long 'fucking sucked'. Followed by a moan about how she hated not having a hot meal at night. Followed by a grumble about the forest floor not being suitable to sleep on.

By noon of day three, Hinata's patience was started to wear a little thin. And Hinata had patience for _everything_. Her pace picked up considerably when the gates greeted her gaze for the first time later in the afternoon.

"Come on Hanabi-chan! Look. We're almost there."

Hanabi perked up at this and caught up to her sister, matching her speed.

"I can't see much from here. Is it really as big as you say?" Hanabi's eyes were wide with curiosity and a bit of skepticism.

"It's big, but quaint enough that you'll get to know people from just seeing them day to day."

"Really? Cool."

Hinata smiled at her sister's almost child-like wonder. She was hoping that Hanabi would like it here as much as she did.

It only took another ten minutes before the trio was walking through the gates. Izumo and Kotetsu looked up and stood when they saw the three.

"Hello Kotetsu-san, Izumo-san," Hinata smiled.

Itachi nodded in greeting and reached in his pocket, producing a slip of paper, which Izumo stamped.

"Hinata-san, you were expected back two days ago… And who is this?" Kotetsu asked, taking notice of Hanabi.

Keeping in character with her lie, Hinata cocked her head to the side slightly. "Tsunade-sama should have in-informed you I would be bringing her home. Th-this is Hanabi. She's my sister. As f-for being late… there were c-complications." She blushed lightly under the scrutiny.

He nodded. "We will alert Godaime-sama to your arrival."

"Thank you, Kotetsu-san. We will be going there now." Hinata bowed and motioned for Hanabi to sign a form that Izumo was holding. With a short goodbye, they were off through the crowds of the main street.

Being late afternoon, the streets were packed with familiar vendors and comrades. They had barely gotten fifty meters into the market place before Hinata was knocked flat on her back by a giant ball of white fur. Muscle memory made Hinata's arms splay behind her in an attempt to break her fall. A cry escaped her as her left arm made contact with the ground, absorbing half of the force. She couldn't let out any more noise due to the large pink tongue that immediately started spreading slobber all over her face. She turned her face to the side but couldn't do much more as her shoulders were pinned by a pair of paws.

A voice that was steadily getting closer caught Hinata's attention. "Akamaru! Why'd you run like that? You totally left me behi- Is that Hinata-chan?" She could hear the smile in his voice before Akamaru even barked in confirmation. "Well let her up, Akamaru!"

Akamaru whined but got off, albeit a little reluctantly. Kiba held his hand out to help up Hinata, which she gratefully took with her right hand, her other arm cradled gently to her chest. Kiba didn't seem to notice and used her momentum to pull her straight into his chest. Hinata smiled and wrapped her good arm around his waist. Her half-hug must have brought his attention to her injury, because he pulled back and looked at her quizzically, noticing her left arm tucked carefully to herself.

"You're injured? Akamaru, look what you did!"

Hinata's eyes widened as Akamaru's ears and shoulders drooped, his tongue coming out to lick her hand apologetically.

"N-no, Kiba! It wasn't Akamaru! I fractured it on my mission. I-it just hurts a little bit since I used it to b-break my fall."

Kiba's expression lightened before turning accusing, his glare directing itself to Itachi. "How could you let Hinata get hurt?"

Itachi just looked away, not bothering to acknowledge Kiba's outburst.

"Were you just sitting on your ass or what?"

"Kiba-kun, it wasn't-"

"She was fighting a skilled adversary. It was inevitable that she would be harmed in some way."

Kiba didn't seem to notice that Itachi had evaded his question quite effectively. Instead he just huffed and returned his attention back to Hinata.

"Tsunade-sama said that you were supposed to be back two days ago."

Hinata held up her injured arm. "Complications."

He nodded grimly but brightened back up quickly. "I have to get back to the compound and help clean the vet clinic right now, but I'm free tomorrow. Come get lunch with me and Shino! We haven't seen you since our last mission together."

Hinata looked thoughtful for a moment. "Can I bring someone?"

Kiba blinked in surprise. "Uh sure, I guess. Who?"

Hinata giggled and stepped away from Kiba to stand next to her sister. "Kiba-kun, this is my sister Hanabi. Hanabi-chan, this is my t-team mate Inuzuka Kiba."

It was obvious that Kiba had not seen Hanabi standing there the entire time. He looked quickly back and forth between the two sisters as if trying to determine whether he was hallucinating or not. He pointed his finger at Hanabi rather rudely, not that he noticed, and opened his mouth only to close it again. A few blinks later, he seemed to regain his ability to speak.

"You found her?" He seemed to be in disbelief, despite having the living proof standing right in front of him, staring cross-eyed at the finger pointed precariously close to her face.

Hanabi pushed his hand away with a scoff. "It's not that hard to tell I'm a Hyuuga." She tapped a finger next to her eyes. "Not to mention I look just like her, minus the bangs."

Kiba scowled at her cheekiness and mumbled, "I was hoping she would have your demeanor, Hinata-chan."

Hinata stifled a laugh with her hand. "She's the more outspoken one of us two. S-so is that a yes?"

Kiba looked slightly confused before remembering his proposition. "Sure thing. I'll pick you up at one. I gotta get going but we'll talk more tomorrow." He gave her a hug and threw a smirk at Hanabi. "See you later!" And with a final wave over his shoulder and a bark from Akamaru, the pair took their leave.

"He's loud."

Hinata opened her mouth to scold her sister but Hanabi cut her off. "I didn't mean it as a bad thing. Just an observation."

Hinata shook her head, turning in the direction of the Hokage's office. "L-let's get going. We need to report to Hokage-sama."

Itachi nodded in agreement, and the three started walking again. Thankfully, there were no more interruptions even when they passed the famous Ichiraku Ramen where a certain blonde haired boisterous ninja frequented. And despite having to tug Hanabi along when something caught her eye, they arrived at the Hokage's office in under fifteen minutes.

Itachi rapped his knuckles on the wood before standing back and waiting for his cue to enter. After some shuffling and groaning, a short 'Enter' was heard.

Itachi led the way into Tsunade's office, Hinata trailing behind him with Hanabi hot on her heels. They nodded respectfully at Shizune before standing in a line in front of the Hokage's _new_ desk, Hinata noted.

"Itachi, Hinata. Was the mission successful?"

Itachi decided to answer, remembering that Hinata had made him captain of their cover mission. "Hai. The mission to retrieve Hyuuga Hanabi was successful."

Tsunade quirked an eyebrow at him. "I can see that." She turned her attention to the youngest of the group. "Welcome to Konoha. It is good to see another Hyuuga amongst us again."

Hanabi bowed politely but remained quiet. Tsunade's gaze seemed to strip her bare, leaving everything she ever kept secret out in the open. Not one to shy away from confrontation, she met the Hokage's stare with one of her own, the slight defiance blatant.

After a moment, Tsunade smirked and then redirected her gaze to Hinata. "She will be staying with you, I presume?"

"H-hai, Hokage-sama. If at such a time she wishes t-to move I'll offer her one of my apartments."

Tsunade nodded to herself. "She will be under your care then. What skills does she possess?"

"She has ex-expressed an interest in joining the ac-academy, Hokage-sama. She is far more talented than I, and she w-would make a great addition to our ranks."

"Hmm. Shizune!"

"Hai?"

"Fetch me the enrollment form. It seems we will be gaining another student at the academy."

Shizune moved to the wall of filing cabinets and started sorting through papers until she found the correct one. "Here, Tsunade-sama." She handed the paper over to Tsunade who stamped it with the Hokage seal, scribbled something down, and passed it on to Hanabi.

"Take this out in the hall and fill it out. I need to discuss some things with Itachi and Hinata. We will call you back in when we are done."

Hanabi nodded and exited the room, shutting the door softly behind her.

"Now, how did the mission go?" Her stare went straight at Hinata.

The dark haired woman cringed slightly. "I-I arrived on schedule, taking the afternoon to s-survey the area. I used my Byakugan to determine patrol schedules and saw a certain ch-chakra signature that was familiar but I couldn't figure out why. This w-was also the time when I discovered Hanabi's location. As m-much as I wanted to see her, I ignored her presence. I knew you would allow me to go back to get her later. I pr-proceeded that night to assassinate the lord. Everything was going according to p-plan. When I reached the courtyard, Kabuto found me." Tsunade's gaze hardened, and Hinata had to draw a deep breath before continuing. "We engaged in b-battle. The compound woke and the servants came to watch. One of those servants w-was Hanabi. She gave away her identity. I tried to protect her, but the dis-distraction allowed Kabuto the upper hand. I fractured my arm blocking one of his punches. Itachi-nisan intervened then. I blamed the murder of the lord on Kabuto, and he f-fled. We used retrieving Hanabi as our c-cover story for being there."

Tsunade was silent for a long time, her gaze fixated on her laced fingers. "Clever. Using Hanabi's presence to you advantage was a good decision. I assume the new Lady bought the lie?"

"Hai."

"Then I will praise you on a mission well done. This business with Kabuto worries me, though. I can only imagine what he is doing to need the kind of funding Lord Ryura is capable of giving. I expect a thoroughly detailed report on my desk no later than tomorrow afternoon."

"Hai. And Hokage-sama?"

"Yes?"

"When I was f-fighting Kabuto, he said something. I d-don't know whether he was just goading me or if what he s-spoke was true, but... He said he has Neji-nisan."

Tsunade's eyes flashed in surprise. "Oh?"

"He said they w-were testing serums, and that Nisan has gone b-blind." She shifted her eyes to the floor, hoping the Hokage could tell her it was all a lie.

The Godaime refocused her attention on her hands, her mind deep in thought. The possibilities of what he could be doing were endless. And with the recent incident- she shook her head. If Kabuto's words rang true, then they had an even bigger problem on their hands. This was something that she would need to speak to Fugaku and Itachi about. Her eye's raised to Hinata's form, a decision made.

"I have been attempting to tract Kabuto's operation for a long time. We have no intelligence to back up those claims. It would be best for you to forget what he said. He more likely than not was lying to try and upset you mentally during the fight. Put no weight to his words, Hinata."

Hinata's voice was soft. "Hai."

"If that is everything, we're done here. Make sure you get your arm healed. If you check into the hospital right now, you may find a friend. Itachi, report to me tomorrow at ten. Dismissed."

Itachi and Hinata bowed and turned to leave, a look of confusion crossing Hinata eyes. What did she mean by friend? Was Ino on call today? They opened the door to Hanabi standing patiently on the other side. Quickly she handed the form to Shizune before following her older sister out of the building.

"So where to now?"

"I need to stop at the hospital to get my arm h-healed, and then I assume we can go home."

"Sounds good. Can I get a physical while we're there? I need one for my academy entry."

"I'm sure they can fit you in."

Hanabi made no fuss as they made their way to the hospital and sat in the waiting room.

Hinata's mind wandered to her lost cousin, trying to figure out whether she would be happy for him to be alive, or desperately guilty that he withstood all that he had because of her. Tsunade was right. She needed to stop thinking of him. Kabuto was the lowest breed of ninja she had ever met and his lack of scruples knew no bounds. Lying to her about her cousin would definitely be something he would do. She resigned herself to the fact that a small flicker of hope would never extinguish itself where Neji was concerned. Until they brought her the body of her cousin, she would not believe him dead. She took a deep breath, expelling all thoughts of Neji into a proverbial box in her mind. She wouldn't let Kabuto's lies work on her. Hope, while a great motivator, was also crushing. If there came a time when the Godaime could verify Neji's whereabouts, Hinata would be first in line for the retrieval mission. Until then, she had other responsibilities to attend to, Hanabi being first on that list.

When she finally came out of her thoughts, she realized that Itachi was still with them. Finding it odd that he didn't have anything better to do than follow them around, Hinata gave him the opportunity to leave if he wished. Instead, he stayed by her side, silent as ever. Hinata took comfort in his presence.

"Hyuuga Hinata!"

Hinata heard her name called and stood only to freeze in her tracks. A head of pink hair that she hadn't seen in over a year greeted her gaze. Sakura had a bright smirk on her face, amused by Hinata's stunned reaction.

"Sakura-chan! I thought you were s-supposed to be in Suna for another month!"

Sakura weaved her way over to Hinata and enveloped her in a hug. "I know. But I got to come back a little early. Gaara-kun had some business with Shishou."

"Gaara-kun?" Hinata was confused at Sakura's reference to the Kazekage.

The pastel haired girl laughed before bending over and whispering, "I've been dating Gaara-kun for a year now. That's what his business with Shishou is about." She stood to her full height and looked over at Hanabi. "You must be Hanabi-chan. My name is Haruno Sakura. It's nice to meet you. You can follow us, and I'll drop you at Ino-pig's room. She'll be in charge your physical."

Hanabi just nodded and followed the two women through the maze that was the hallways of the hospital. They stopped at one of the rooms, telling Hanabi to go in and put the stupid hospital gown on, before continuing.

Hinata was excited to see her friend after so long. Sakura had been very supportive when Hinata had just started her training as a ninja. The two girls commiserated, both feeling inadequate. Sakura because her team mates were always better than her, making her feel like the weak link, and Hinata because of the night she had left Neji. Both wanted to become stronger and they found the support system they needed in each other. Then Sakura had been sent on a long term mission to Suna to train their medic-nin as a way to strengthen the bond between their villages. Apparently she had been doing much more to strengthen the villages' alliance than her mission entailed, if her relationship with the Kazekage was serious enough to speak to the Hokage about. Hinata was happy for her friend and she was even happier that her friend was home.

"So let's check out that arm," Sakura started, after Hinata had taken off her jacket and hopped up on the exam table. "You said you fractured it?"

"I think so. I'm not skilled enough to r-really be sure."

"Ah. Well, we'll see in a minute now wont we? I'm going to take a few x-rays just because the healing will go faster if I know exactly where to focus. If you could take the bandage off and set your arm here on the table…" Sakura maneuvered around the room effortlessly, getting the x-ray machine set up and draping a heavy lead-filled blanket over Hinata's body. "Okay. Move- actually, that's perfect. Keep your arm right there and try not to move."

Hinata did as she was told, hearing the buzz of the machine. A few minutes later Sakura emerged from an attached room with fully developed x-ray photos clasped in her hand. She stuck them up on a back lit screen and moved so Hinata could view them as well.

"See these?" She pointed a few dark lines, marring the bright color of the bone. "These are your fractures. They're pretty bad as far as fractures go. Nothing that I can't heal today, but you'll need to take it easy for the next few weeks. Even if I heal it, the bone will still be very fragile at these points. You will need to give it time to naturally solidify before you go beating up on Itachi-san." She laughed at her companion's now very pink face, before settling herself on the wheelie doctor's chair and scooting close to Hinata.

A soft green glow enveloped Hinata's arm. She watched in fascination as the bruise disappeared before her eyes. Concentration marks marred Sakura's features as she focused her chakra deeper, mending the bone and easing the pain. It was only a ten minute procedure before Hinata was pretty much as good as new.

"Thank you, Sakura-chan."

"No problem. Oh, since I just got back, Naruto and Sasuke-kun, well mostly Naruto, are throwing me a welcome home party at Ichiraku's tomorrow night. Do you want to come? It'll be a great way for Hanabi-chan to meet everyone."

Hinata smiled brightly. "Hai. I think th-that would be very fun."

"Sweet. It starts at six. I'll see you there. Can you see yourself out? Sorry, but I have another patient in the next room."

Hinata nodded and gave her friend a hug before exiting the exam room and finding her way back to the waiting room. She was almost there when her sister jumped on her back, giggling lightly before getting off.

"Clean bill of h-health, I assume?"

Hanabi nodded eagerly. "Yup. That means I get to start at the academy on Monday. And since it's only Thursday, that means we have three days for you to show me around first."

Hinata smiled. "How do you f-feel about going to a little party tomorrow? The doctor from earlier, Sakura, has b-been gone fore over a year and she just got back. My friends are throwing her a little welcome home party at a ramen shop in t-town tomorrow night."

Hanabi didn't miss a beat. "That sounds like fun. I want to meet your friends. Is that Naruto person going to be there? I especially want to meet him." She grinned evilly.

Hanabi laughed a little uncertainly. "Hai, he's the one setting it up. P-please don't do anything rash, Hanabi-chan."

"Who me? Never. But really, I just want to see what kind of guy steals the heart of my big sis."

Hinata blushed and was thankful when they entered the waiting room, effectively ending their conversation. Itachi stood, making his way over to the two women and the trio left the hospital behind. It only took another ten minutes to reach Hinata's condo since she had chosen to live in the heart of the city.

"Wow, Hinata. I love your place," Hanabi said as she wandered around the common areas of the condo.

"I-it's your home too now."

Hanabi turned sharply to her sister and smile trying to overtake her face. Hinata grinned back at her, the feeling of completeness washing over her.

As Itachi made himself comfortable on the living room couch, Hinata showed Hanabi the extra bathroom and bedroom where she would be staying. Hanabi immediately flopped on the bed, while Hinata moved to the closet to grab Itachi's extra clothing that he kept for his stays at her place. She carried it back to her room and found space for it in her own closet.

After a quiet meal of delivery take-out, the three were ready for some sleep. Hanabi retired first. Quickly washing her plate, to the great surprise of Hinata, she bid Itachi and her sister goodnight before leaving for her new room. An awkward silence settled over the remaining occupants of the room. They had not yet discussed the new sleeping arrangements.

"I'll go back to my room at the inner compound."

"That's all the way across town. You can stay h-here if you like. My bed is plenty big enough for the both of us."

Itachi raised an eyebrow, purposefully teasing her.

Hinata thought about how her last statement had just sounded. Her cheeks heated and she stuttered out, "I-I just m-mean, well, there's enough r-room for each of us to stay on our r-respective sides."

"Hn."

Hinata huffed and grabbed his dish and glass, dumping both in the sink with her own. She heard him leave to her room and the shower start. In a matter of minutes, her kitchen was spotless, and she moved upstairs to her loft study. She set her mission scroll in a locked drawer, sealing it for good measure. It wouldn't do to have Hanabi finding it. When she returned downstairs, she was glad to see Itachi was already done with his shower and his hair was not dripping water. She didn't need a repeat of last time.

"I'm going to shower real quick." She didn't know why she felt the need to announce that to him.

He nodded and continued rummaging through his pack. Hinata sighed, and exited to the bathroom. Thirty minutes later found Hinata clothed in cute black plaid cotton shorts and a red camisole as her chosen pajamas for the night. She opened the door and moved to the side of the bed Itachi wasn't occupying. She glanced at her bed mate, taking in his form, one arm slung haphazardly over his eyes.

"You're staring."

Hinata started but didn't let her shyness get the best of her again.

"Observing," she said firmly.

His arm dropped away to reveal his piercing eyes that shone with mirth.

She huffed, refusing to give in to the temptation of stomping her foot and instead succumbed to the equally childish temptation of sticking her tongue out at him. His lips twitched. Silently she slipped between the sheets, switching off the light before settling down completely.

"Goodnight, Ita-nisan."

"Goodnight, Hinata-chan."

XXXXXXXXXX


End file.
